Show Junctions in File Explorer?

Is there a way for Windows Explorer to differentiate between a junction and the actual data pointed to by the junction?

Also, it appears that both the junction and actual data location both show storage being used for the files. Is there a way for the junction location to show actual free space available?

Example... I created a junction to free up space on my c: drive pointing to my d: drive with data moved to d:. Both c: and d: show all the folders and files as using up space.

Thanks

Mike

Link Shell Extension has an option to show an icon overlay on the folder icons of junctions.
Link Shell Extension

AFAIK there is no built in function in Windows that makes folder properties show junction point in Explorer.

mngerhold said:

On my PC Explorer shows a different icon for the junction folder on C (in my case its MSOCache) and the source on E:

source:


I don't know what you mean by ' a way for the junction location to show actual free space'. Explorer will show the size of what it finds under properties (but the junction has an extra tab called 'link properties'). If you want to know how much space is taken on the drive, and you can't tell junctions from normal folders as I can, Wiztree will show the truth:


update: Sorry, I forgot I am using LSE!

Thank you! That should do it.

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hdmi said:

Link Shell Extension has an option to show an icon overlay on the folder icons of junctions.
Link Shell Extension

AFAIK there is no built in function in Windows that makes folder properties show junction point in Explorer.

Thanks!

x509 said:

Sorry for the noob-ish question, but what is the benefit of using junctions?

NTFS links - Wikipedia

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mmosier1 said:

Short answer... it allows you to move a folder/directory to a different location while making it appear to still be in the original location.

I mostly use it to do the exact opposite of that. I.e., keep a folder in the original location while making it appear to still be moved, usually onto the type of Ramdisk that uses Dynamic Memory Management (Romex Software Primo Ramdisk) so that I only need to copy those small parts of the data that would create a noticeable performance bottleneck otherwise. Copying those small parts of the data onto the Ramdisk can also be automated with Task Scheduler event-based triggers. And, by keeping those same small parts of the data split and/or duplicated across multiple physical storage devices, this data can also be copied onto the Ramdisk much faster due to copying multiple chunks from these multiple devices at once.

Kind of similar to how a bittorrent client app can also be used to achieve higher data transfer rates by downloading different chunks of the same data from multiple physical sources at once. Essentially, I am downloading it from my own local storage devices, directly onto my Ramdisk, by using somewhat similar design concepts that were once outlined, more than a quarter of a century ago, in what's known as distributed environment and CORBA. But that's all fairly well unrelated to Windows 10, I digress...

Let's say the source folder of what I want to make a junction of is 1gb and is stored on drive C: and drive E: where I want the junction to go is only 512mb and on drive E: ... can I still create a junction for the folder on drive C: and direct the junction path to drive E: ?

I think you have it exactly the wrong way round - although the words can be interpreted in at least two ways! Assuming you want to keep the data on C: (you don't have much choice, after all), then you create a junction on E: that points to C:\folder, so that any program accessing E:<jn> is actually redirected to C:\folder (but doesn't know about it).