# Junction - Sysinternals | Microsoft Learn

Title: Junction v1.07 — Summary Author: Mark Russinovich Published: July 4, 2016

Summary:

* Junction is a Sysinternals utility that creates and inspects NTFS junction points (directory aliases) on Windows 2000 and later. It was written because Windows lacked a built-in free tool for creating junctions (the Windows 2000 Resource Kit included linkd).
* Junction works with NTFS reparse points (the mechanism for junctions). Note: Windows does not support junctions that target directories on remote shares.
* Main capabilities:
  * Query a file or directory to determine whether it is a reparse point/junction (optionally recursively).
  * Create a junction directory that points to a target directory.
  * Delete a junction.
* Syntax and parameters:
  * Query: junction.exe \[-s] \[-q]
  * Create: junction.exe
  * Delete: junction.exe -d
  * Parameters: -s (recurse subdirectories), -d (delete), -q (quiet), plus positional path arguments.
* Examples:
  * Check a path: junction c:\test
  * List junctions under a directory recursively: junction -s c:\\
  * Create a junction named c:\Program-Files for "c:\Program Files": junction c:\Program-Files "c:\Program Files"
  * Delete that junction: junction -d c:\Program-Files
* Return codes:
  * 0 on success
  * -1 on failed creation of a new junction
  * Some operations that fail (e.g., deletion or checks when a file is not found) also return 0 according to the documentation.
* Download: Junction.zip (504 KB) — link provided in original article.
* Supported platforms (per article): Client: Windows Vista+, Server: Windows Server 2008+, Nano Server: 2016+.

Last updated in the article: 09/29/2022.