This guide explains how TeraCopy handles hard links, symbolic links, and junctions, and provides instructions on creating them.

A hard link is a reference directly to the physical data on a storage device. It allows multiple filenames to point to the same data on the disk. Hard links can only be created for files on the same volume and do not support network paths (UNC paths that begin with \\). Unlike shortcuts, hard links do not display a shortcut arrow icon.

To create a hard link in Windows, use the Command Prompt with the following syntax:

TeraCopy copies hard-linked files as regular files. When you copy a hard link using TeraCopy, it duplicates the file content at the destination, not the link itself. This means the copied file is independent of the original hard link.

Symbolic links, or symlinks, are advanced shortcuts that point to a file or directory. They can link to local or remote targets, including network paths (UNC paths). Symbolic links appear identical to the target source and display a shortcut arrow icon. Opening a symbolic link redirects you to the target source.

To create a symbolic link to a file, use:

To create a symbolic link to a directory, use:

A junction, or directory junction, is a type of symbolic link that points to a directory on a local volume. Junctions make it appear as though the target directory exists at the location of the junction. They do not support network paths (UNC paths) and display a shortcut arrow icon.

To create a junction, use:

TeraCopy 4 skips junctions during the copy process and shows the following error message: "Source: reparse point skipped". This indicates that the junction is not copied to the destination.