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Move a Folder Without Breaking Programs: mklink /J Junctions

Relocate large folders to another drive and leave a junction behind so every program still finds them at the old path.

WindowsFilescmdlinkMedium risk
Move the folder to the new drive, then run mklink /J "old-path" "new-path" — the old path now transparently points to the new location.

01Command

Command
$ mklink /J "C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\BigGame" "D:\Games\BigGame"

02What it does

A junction is a directory link: the old path remains but reads and writes go straight to the real folder on the other drive. Unlike symbolic links (/D), junctions don't require admin rights to create and work on any local NTFS volume — which is why they're the standard trick for moving game folders, Steam libraries, or AppData subfolders to a bigger drive. Create the junction only at the old path after physically moving the folder; programs keep using the old path without noticing. Verify the link with dir (it shows <JUNCTION>) before deleting the original copy.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk
RequirementsMove the original folder to the new location first, then create the junction at the old path. No admin rights needed on NTFS drives.
!Warning: rmdir on the junction removes only the link, never the target files — but deleting the target folder leaves the junction pointing at nothing. Don't junction system folders like Windows or Program Files wholesale.

04Undo

Undo
$ rmdir "C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\BigGame"

05Sources

  • mklink
    Microsoft Learn · vendor-doc · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: mklink /J creates a directory junction — a soft link to a directory that does not require administrator privileges, unlike /D symbolic links.
  • mklink - SS64
    SS64 · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Details the /J junction switch and its differences from /D symbolic links (no elevation, local volumes, resolved at access time).

Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Files & Folders

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