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A broken symbolic link usually means Windows can still see the link entry, but the path stored inside it no longer leads to the intended file or folder. First confirm that the target still exists and determine whether the link is for a file or a directory. If the target was moved or renamed, either restore it to the original path or remove only the stale link and recreate it with the corrected target.
Use mklink without a switch for a file symbolic link and mklink /d for a directory symbolic link. Remove a directory link with rd or a file link with del; do not use recursive deletion on an ordinary link. The commands below apply to Windows 10 and Windows 11, as documented by Microsoft’s mklink reference.
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What a broken symbolic link is
A symbolic link is a filesystem entry that stores a path relationship to another file or directory. It does not contain a second copy of the target and cannot make a deleted or inaccessible target reappear. When an application follows the link, Windows resolves the stored path. If that path no longer exists, the link appears broken.
Common practical causes include a target folder being renamed, a file being moved, a drive letter changing, a removable disk being disconnected, or a network share being unavailable. These are diagnostic possibilities rather than a measured ranking of causes. The safest repair is to establish the target’s current location before deleting anything.
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Windows symbolic links can use absolute or relative targets. An absolute target names the complete path, such as D:ProjectsArchive. A relative target is interpreted from the link’s path context, so moving the link or changing the directory structure around it can change what it resolves to. Microsoft explains this behavior, including how .. components are resolved, in Creating Symbolic Links.
Check the target before repairing the link
Locate the intended file or folder
Open File Explorer and browse to the location where the target should be. Check spelling, capitalization as displayed by applications, the drive letter, and whether an external or network volume is connected. A target that was moved can be restored to the old path, which repairs every consumer of the link without changing the link itself. If the new location is intentional, recreate the link to that new path instead.
From Command Prompt, test a suspected target directly. Quote paths containing spaces:
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dir "D:Currentpathtotarget-folder"A normal directory listing confirms that the path is currently visible to that command prompt. If the target is on a mapped drive or remote share, verify that the drive or share is available in the same Windows session in which the link is being used.
Check the link’s own location
Do not inspect only the target. A relative link depends on the directory containing the link, so verify that the link has not itself been moved and that parent folders have not been renamed. A relative link that worked inside one project tree may fail after the link is copied to another tree even though the target text has not changed.
Decide whether the target should be restored or the link changed
- Restore the target path when existing programs, scripts, or configuration files must continue using the old link and the target can safely be returned there.
- Recreate the link when the target’s new location is permanent or restoring the old path is impractical.
- Investigate the storage or owning software when the path exists but opening it still fails, because the entry may be a reparse point managed by something other than an ordinary symbolic link.
Identify exactly what kind of link you have
Do not assume every shortcut-like entry is a symbolic link. Windows also supports junctions, hard links, and other reparse points, each with different behavior. Microsoft’s mklink documentation distinguishes these creation forms:
| Kind | Typical command form | What it links | Important constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| File symbolic link | mklink link target |
One file path | The default mklink mode when /d, /h, or /j is not supplied. |
| Directory symbolic link | mklink /d link target |
One directory path | Use the directory form when the target is a folder. |
| Hard link | mklink /h link target |
A file on the same volume | Hard links are file links and have same-volume constraints. |
| Directory junction | mklink /j link target |
A directory | Junctions are directory links with constraints different from symbolic links. |
Microsoft describes hard-link and junction behavior in Hard Links and Junctions. A junction or hard link may need a different remedy from a symbolic link, so identify the object before removing it.
List directory links
In Command Prompt, run:
dir /AL "C:pathtoparent"The /AL switch lists directory entries with link attributes, helping expose directory symbolic links and junctions. For a broader view of file entries, use:
dir /A "C:pathtoparent"Review the displayed link name and target information. Make sure you are operating on the link path, not the target path. If the entry is a file link, the directory-only listing may not show it; inspect the containing directory with the broader command and compare the object with the expected file.
Remove only the stale link
Once you have confirmed that the target is missing or that the link must point somewhere else, remove the link entry itself. Removing a symbolic link is not the same as deleting its target.
Directory symbolic link
For a directory symbolic link, Microsoft’s example uses rd with the link path:
rd "C:pathtolink"Use the exact path of the link. Do not substitute the target’s path. If the command succeeds, the link entry is gone while the target directory, if it still exists elsewhere, remains untouched.
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File symbolic link
For a file symbolic link, use del:
del "C:pathtolink"Again, specify the link, not the destination file. If you are uncertain whether an entry is a file or directory link, stop and identify it first rather than trying both deletion commands.
Why recursive deletion is dangerous
Do not casually use rmdir /s or rd /s for link removal. Microsoft documents the /s option as deleting a directory tree, including files and subdirectories, in the rmdir reference. A recursive command is therefore a destructive tree operation, not the normal way to remove one directory-link entry. If a command proposes deleting contents, cancel it and recheck the path.
Recreate the symbolic link with the corrected target
Create a file symbolic link
After removing the stale file link, create a replacement by passing the link path first and the target path second:
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mklink "C:pathtolink.txt" "D:currentpathtotarget.txt"The two arguments have distinct roles. The first is where the link will appear; the second is what Windows should resolve when the link is opened. Reversing them creates the wrong relationship or causes the command to fail.
Create a directory symbolic link
For a folder, include /d:
mklink /d "C:pathtolink-folder" "D:currentpathtotarget-folder"Without /d, mklink creates a file symbolic link by default. Match the switch to the target type. A directory target should not be repaired with the file form merely because the old entry looked like a file in an application.
Use an absolute or relative target deliberately
An absolute target is usually easier to reason about because it does not depend on the link’s parent directory. A relative target can make a project portable when the whole directory tree moves together, but its meaning changes if the link or surrounding folders move. Microsoft notes that relative symbolic links are restricted to a single volume, while Windows symbolic links can point to remote files or directories by a UNC path; see Creating Symbolic Links.
An absolute local example:
mklink /d "C:WorkAssets" "D:SharedAssets"A relative example, run from a structure where the target is two levels above the link:
mklink /d "C:WorkProjectBuildAssets" "....Assets"Use a relative form only after confirming that the link will remain in the path context for which it was designed. If you need a remote target, use its complete UNC path and verify that the share is reachable from the systems that will follow the link.
Verify that the replacement works
After mklink reports success, test the link through the same kind of access that originally failed.
- List the link’s parent directory and confirm that the new entry appears.
- Open the link in File Explorer or use
diron the link path. - For a file link, read or open the file without changing its contents.
- For a directory link, enumerate a known child path and confirm that applications can traverse it.
- Run the script or program that originally reported the broken path.
If the link opens but the application still reports an error, check the application’s configured path separately. The application may be using a different spelling, working directory, account, or network context than the test command.
Repair choices for common situations
| Observed situation | Recommended action | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| The target was renamed but should retain the old path | Rename it back or restore it to the original location. | Every existing consumer keeps using the same link. |
| The target moved permanently to another local path | Remove the stale link and recreate it with the new absolute path. | The relationship changes while the public link path stays stable. |
| The link and project tree were moved together | Check whether a relative link still resolves from the new parent directory. | Relative resolution depends on path context. |
| A drive letter changed | Reconnect the volume or assign the expected drive letter, then retest; otherwise recreate an absolute link to the current path. | The stored absolute path may no longer exist. |
| A network share is unavailable | Verify the UNC share and connectivity before changing the link. | The link may be correct while the remote target is offline. |
| The entry is a junction or hard link | Identify its type and constraints before replacement. | Those are not interchangeable with symbolic links. |
Troubleshoot a failed mklink command
The target path is wrong
Check every character, including the drive letter, extension, and quotation marks around paths with spaces. Test the target independently with dir. If that command cannot see the target, creating a link to it will not restore access.
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A replacement cannot occupy a path that still contains the old link or another file. List the parent directory, confirm that the existing entry is the stale link, and remove only that entry with rd for a directory link or del for a file link. Never remove an entry merely because its name matches; verify its type and destination first.
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The file and directory forms do not match
Use plain mklink for a file target and mklink /d for a directory target. A command that uses the wrong form can fail or create a relationship that does not match the intended object.
Permissions or policy block creation
Windows privilege and policy behavior can vary by system configuration. The official command references establish the syntax and link behavior but do not provide one universal remedy for every permission error. Record the exact error text, confirm that the destination parent is writable, and check the organization’s policy before changing security settings. Do not weaken system protections solely to bypass an unexplained error.
The target exists but opening still fails
If the path is present and the link type appears correct, investigate whether the object is an application-managed reparse point, an unavailable filesystem filter, or another storage feature. Repeatedly deleting and recreating the path can obscure the real cause.
Inspect an advanced reparse point only when ordinary repair is insufficient
Symbolic links are implemented through Windows reparse-point mechanisms, but not every reparse point is a symbolic link. Microsoft explains that the reparse tag identifies the data type and that opening a file can fail when the filesystem filter associated with that tag is unavailable in Reparse Points.
Query the reparse data
To inspect the metadata at a suspected link path, run:
fsutil reparsepoint query "C:pathtolink"The query retrieves the reparse-point data. Compare the tag and information with the software or filesystem feature that created the object. Microsoft’s fsutil reparsepoint documentation applies to Windows 10 and Windows 11 and describes this command as an advanced support-oriented tool.
Delete only the reparse point as a last resort
The corresponding deletion command is:
fsutil reparsepoint delete "C:pathtolink"Microsoft states that this operation removes the reparse point without deleting the file or directory itself. That does not make it risk-free: it may dismantle a link or filesystem feature that another program expects. Confirm the path and object type first, preserve any needed data, and use this operation only when ordinary target correction and link recreation do not explain the failure. Microsoft explicitly notes that the fsutil reparsepoint command is typically used by support professionals.
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Understand the difference between symbolic links, junctions, and hard links
Symbolic links
A symbolic link stores a path relationship and can represent either a file or a directory. It can use an absolute or relative target. The target may be local or, where supported, a remote UNC path. A broken symbolic link normally indicates that the stored path no longer resolves in the current context.
Junctions
A junction is a directory link, not a file link. It has constraints and behavior distinct from a symbolic link, so use the link’s actual type when deciding how to inspect or replace it.
Hard links
A hard link is another directory entry for the same file data and is constrained to files on the same volume. Moving or renaming one directory entry does not work like changing a symbolic-link target. Microsoft documents these distinctions in Hard Links and Junctions.
These differences matter because a command that is safe for a symbolic link may be inappropriate for an application-managed reparse point or a hard-linked file. Identify first, remove second.
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- Confirm that the intended target exists at the path you expect.
- Check drive letters, removable volumes, network shares, renamed folders, and moved files.
- Determine whether the object is a file link, directory link, junction, hard link, or another reparse point.
- For a relative link, verify the link’s own location and its surrounding directory structure.
- Back up important data before changing a path used by production software.
- Remove only the link path:
delfor a file symbolic link orrdfor a directory symbolic link. - Do not use
rd /sorrmdir /sas a casual link-removal command. - Recreate the link with the correct argument order and, for directories, the
/dswitch. - Test the replacement from both Command Prompt and the application that originally failed.
- Use
fsutil reparsepoint queryonly when the ordinary path explanation does not fit, and treat deletion of reparse metadata as an advanced operation.
When to stop and investigate the owning software
If the target is present, the link path is correct, and the reparse query identifies a nonstandard tag or missing filesystem filter, the problem may belong to backup software, cloud storage, encryption, deduplication, or another filesystem extension. A plain mklink replacement may remove evidence without restoring that feature. Identify the component associated with the reparse tag and follow its recovery procedure instead of repeatedly recreating the same path.
Official Microsoft references provide command syntax and filesystem behavior but do not establish a statistic for how often links break or a guaranteed success rate for repair. The reliable approach is therefore diagnostic: verify the target, identify the link kind, change only the broken relationship, and test the exact workload that depends on it.
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