Most Windows users live their lives blissfully unaware of the matrix of connections holding their file system together. They see a file in C:\Users\Name\Documents , and they assume that is where the file lives.
| Feature | Symbolic Link | Shortcut | |---------|---------------|----------| | Works with all apps | Yes | No (apps must resolve .lnk) | | Works from command line | Yes | No | | Double-click behavior | Opens target | Opens target | | Can be used as working directory | Yes | No | | Relative paths supported | Yes | Yes | | File system level | Yes | No (shell level) | windows symbolic link
Use when you need seamless, filesystem-level redirection for both files and folders, especially across drives or networks. Use junctions for backward compatibility with older Windows versions (pre-Vista). Use hard links for duplicate files without consuming extra space, but only on the same volume. Most Windows users live their lives blissfully unaware