Want to easily access folders and files from different folders
without maintaining duplicate copies? Here’s how you can use Symbolic
Links to link anything in Windows 7, Vista, XP, and Ubuntu.
So What Are Symbolic Links Anyway?
Symbolic links, otherwise known as symlinks, are basically advanced shortcuts. You can create symbolic links to individual files or folders, and then these will appear like they are stored in the folder with the symbolic link even though the symbolic link only points to their real location.
There are two types of symbolic links: hard and soft. Soft symbolic links work essentially the same as a standard shortcut. When you open a soft link, you will be redirected to the folder where the files are stored. However, a hard link makes it appear as though the file or folder actually exists at the location of the symbolic link, and your applications won’t know any different. Thus, hard links are of the most interest in this article.
Why should I use Symbolic Links?
There are many things we use symbolic links for, so here’s some of the top uses we can think of:
So What Are Symbolic Links Anyway?
Symbolic links, otherwise known as symlinks, are basically advanced shortcuts. You can create symbolic links to individual files or folders, and then these will appear like they are stored in the folder with the symbolic link even though the symbolic link only points to their real location.
There are two types of symbolic links: hard and soft. Soft symbolic links work essentially the same as a standard shortcut. When you open a soft link, you will be redirected to the folder where the files are stored. However, a hard link makes it appear as though the file or folder actually exists at the location of the symbolic link, and your applications won’t know any different. Thus, hard links are of the most interest in this article.
Why should I use Symbolic Links?
There are many things we use symbolic links for, so here’s some of the top uses we can think of:
- Sync any folder with Dropbox – say, sync your Pidgin Profile Across Computers
- Move the settings folder for any program from its original location
- Store your Music/Pictures/Videos on a second hard drive, but make them show up in your standard Music/Pictures/Videos folders so they’ll be detected my your media programs (Windows 7 Libraries can also be good for this)
- Keep important files accessible from multiple locations
- And more!
