How to use symbolic links on Linux | Linux Today

How to use symbolic links on Linux

Written By
NO
Nikolaus Oosterhof
Jan 3, 2021

Symbolic links (or Symlinks) are files that act as shortcuts or references to another file or directory. Although different, roughly speaking, we can think of symbolic links as being similar to software shortcuts on the desktop: by clicking on them, we run a program that is stored elsewhere on the computer and, sometimes, even on another machine. But everything works so transparently that it looks like we’re clicking on the original executable.

NO

Nikolaus Oosterhof

Linux Today Logo

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.