While Windows provides the mklink command-line utility, many developers prefer graphical interfaces for better visibility and easier management of symbolic links. GUI tools offer:

• Visual representation of link relationships
• Bulk operations capabilities
• Error prevention through validation
• Simplified junction point creation

1. Link Shell Extension

A powerful Explorer integration that adds link creation options to the context menu:

# Installation via Chocolatey:
choco install linkshellextension -y

Key features:

• Smart Copy/Paste of link sources
• Visual indicators for different link types
• Supports all Windows link variants

2. Hardlink Shell Extension

Specialized for hardlinks with advanced features:

# Shows hardlink references count:
fsutil hardlink list C:\path\to\file.ext

Visual Studio Project Organization

Create junction points for shared dependencies:

# Typical structure:
C:\Projects\SharedLibs (source)
C:\Projects\Project1\libs (junction point)
C:\Projects\Project2\libs (junction point)

Node.js Development Workflow

Use softlinks for local module testing:

# Instead of npm link:
mklink /D C:\project\node_modules\mymodule C:\dev\mymodule

Type	GUI Support	Use Case
Hardlink	Excellent	File duplication without space
Softlink	Good	Cross-volume references
Junction	Best	Directory redirection

Permission Problems

Run GUI tools as Administrator when creating system-wide links. For developer machines:

# Enable developer mode for unrestricted symlinks:
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock" /t REG_DWORD /f /v "AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense" /d "1"

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While Windows provides the built-in mklink command, many developers find themselves needing a more visual approach to managing NTFS links. GUI tools offer better visibility of existing links, easier management, and often include additional features that make working with symbolic links more efficient.

Here are some of the most robust GUI solutions for creating and managing links on Windows:

1. Link Shell Extension

The most comprehensive free solution, offering:
- Explorer integration for creating all link types
- Visual indicators for linked files
- Advanced features like smart copy/move operations
- Support for hard links, junctions, and symbolic links

// Example of creating a hard link via command line (for comparison)
mklink /H "C:\target.txt" "C:\source.txt"

2. Hard Link Shell Extension

A simpler alternative that adds these capabilities to Windows Explorer:
- Right-click context menu integration
- Clear visual indicators for different link types
- One-click creation of various link types

3. NTFS Link

A standalone utility that provides:
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Batch link creation
- Link verification and repair tools
- Detailed link information display

For developers working with Node.js projects: Link Shell Extension helps manage node_modules efficiently by creating junctions for shared dependencies.

For system administrators: NTFS Link provides the batch processing capability needed when deploying multiple links across machines.

For those who need to create links in scripts or applications, here's a PowerShell example:

# Create a symbolic link in PowerShell
New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "C:\webroot\current" -Target "C:\releases\v1.2.3"

# Create a hard link in C# (P/Invoke)
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern bool CreateHardLink(string lpFileName, string lpExistingFileName, IntPtr lpSecurityAttributes);

Some GUI tools support special features like:

• Link inheritance management
• Cross-drive junction creation
• Link verification and repair
• Mass link operations with filtering

When links don't work as expected:

1. Verify you have administrator privileges (required for some link types)
2. Check if the target volume supports the link type (NTFS required)
3. Ensure the target path exists before creating the link
4. Watch for path length limitations (especially important for development environments)