How to Create Symbolic links between two folders on Windows

How to Create Symbolic links between two folders on Windows

Creating symbolic links between two folders on Windows is a useful technique for organizing files and making it easier to access them. Symbolic links are shortcuts that point to another location on your computer, allowing you to access the contents of one folder as if they were located in another. In this blog post, we will explore how to create symbolic links between two folders on Windows, including step-by-step instructions and examples using code.

What are Symbolic Links?

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Symbolic links, also known as symlinks or shortcuts, are a way to create a reference to another file or folder on your computer. When you create a symbolic link, it points to the original location of the file or folder, but it can be accessed and modified as if it were located in a different location. Symbolic links are useful for organizing files and making it easier to access them.

For example, let's say you have two folders on your computer
one called "Documents" and another called "Projects". You might want to create a symbolic link between these two folders so that you can easily access the contents of one folder from the other. This would allow you to keep your files organized and make it easier to find what you need.

How to Create Symbolic Links on Windows

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Creating symbolic links on Windows is a simple process. Here are the steps

1. Open File Explorer on your computer.

2. Navigate to the folder where you want to create the symbolic link.

3. Right-click on an empty space in the folder and select "New" from the context menu.

4. Select "Symbolic Link" from the submenu that appears.

5. In the "Create Symbolic Link" dialog box, enter a name for the symbolic link. This should be descriptive and easy to remember.

6. Click on the "Browse" button and navigate to the folder you want the symbolic link to point to.

7. Select the folder you want to link to and click "OK".

8. Click "Create" to create the symbolic link.

Once you have created the symbolic link, you can access it just like any other file or folder on your computer. When you double-click on the symbolic link, it will open the original location of the file or folder as if it were located in the folder where the symbolic link is located.

Using Symbolic Links to Organize Files

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Symbolic links are a great way to organize files and make it easier to access them. Here are some examples of how you might use symbolic links to organize your files

1. Create a symbolic link between your "Documents" folder and your "Projects" folder. This will allow you to easily access the documents related to each project from one location.

2. Create a symbolic link between your "Downloads" folder and your "Documents" folder. This will allow you to easily access any files you download from one location.

3. Create a symbolic link between your "Music" folder and your "Videos" folder. This will allow you to easily access the music and videos related to each other from one location.

Using Symbolic Links with Code

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Symbolic links can also be created using code on Windows. Here is an example of how to create a symbolic link using PowerShell

powershell
New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "C
\Users\UserName\Documents\MyFolder" -Target "C
\Users\UserName\Projects\MyOtherFolder"

This code will create a symbolic link called "MySymbolicLink" in the "Documents" folder that points to the "MyOtherFolder"