Result: The OS sees C:\Logs\application.log , but any write operations go straight to D: .
You can move or rename a soft link freely – it still points to the original target. windows soft link
mklink /D "LinkPath" "TargetFolder"
| Feature | Soft Link (Symlink) | Hard Link | Junction | Shortcut (.lnk) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (same volume) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | | Works across network | ✅ Yes (need enabled) | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | | Points to directories | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (files only) | ✅ Yes (directories only) | ✅ Yes | | Points to files | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | | Transparent to apps | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (opens in explorer) | | Survives target deletion | ❌ No (broken link) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No | Result: The OS sees C:\Logs\application
Output: