A junction, also called an NTFS junction point, is a feature of the NTFS file system. It is pointer to a directory on the local volume, similar to a symlink. It can be accessed through the Windows GUI in addition to the Windows command line. Junction points were first introduced with Windows 2000 and NTFS 3.0, and are supported in all subsequent versions of Windows.

Example of a junction point

Below is an example of a junction in the Windows command line.

  • Example of a junction point.
  • What’s the difference between a junction and a symlink (symbolic link)?
  • How to create a Junction in Windows.
  • How do I know if a directory or folder is a Junction point?
  • Related junction point pages.

Although very similar, a junction is not the same as a symbolic link on a Windows computer. Below is a list of some differences between a junction and a symbolic link.

A junction cannot point to a remote share it must be a directory on the local volume. However, a symbolic link or symlink can point to a remote share.

  • A junction point can only be a link to a local volume path. Symbolic links are a local and remote path. For example, a symbolic link can link to the network share \hope\files.
  • A junction point is designed for local directories, but a symbolic link can be used for directories, files, and shares.
  • A symbolic link resolves to the local machine. For example, you create a symbolic link to c:\hope on your computer. If someone accesses that link from a remote machine, c:\hope os opened on that remote machine, not yours.

How to create a Junction in Windows

To create a junction point with Windows 2000, you can use the linkd program included with Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 Resource Kits or the junction tool released with Windows Sysinternals. Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later versions of Windows include the mklink command for creating junction points.

How do I know if a directory or folder is a Junction point?

In the Windows command line

From the Windows command line, you can quickly identify if a directory is a junction using the dir command. The picture at the beginning of this page shows a directory as a junction, displaying instead of

.

In Windows Explorer

In Windows Explorer, a junction point is a folder with a shortcut icon in the bottom left corner. The picture is of a backup folder next to an example folder. The example folder is the junction that points to the backup folder.

Operating system terms, Windows Sysinternals

  • See the mklink command for information on creating a junction and symbolic link.