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Files Manager

Two panes, one rule: a link is copied as a link, so tool folders full of links copy, move and delete without breaking or growing.

ExpSoft ArckheensToolzBasic v1.1.4.03 steps · about 3 minutesComplexity: Easy

Why links matter

AI tools share big folders through junctions and symbolic links: a Python environment, a model store used by several apps. A plain copy follows those links and copies what is behind them — the copy grows, and the links are gone. The Files Manager re-creates each link at the destination instead.

A junction shown with a link icon and its target in the Link column
A folder link: the Link column shows where it points.
  1. 1
    A link — shown with a link icon; the Link → column gives its target.
  2. 2
    Copy links as links — on by default. Untick it only if you really want the content behind the links.
Step 1

Open the two folders

Each pane has a drive list, a path bar (type a path and press Enter), Up and a refresh button. Double-click a folder to open it. The pane you click becomes the source; the other one is the destination.

Step 2

Select what to copy

Click an entry in the source pane (Ctrl or Shift for several). The status line under the pane counts the selection.

Step 3

Copy with F5

Files Manager after copying a folder: the link re-created in the destination pane and the log
The copy, opened in the right pane: the link arrived as a link.
  1. 1
    Copy links as links — the option that keeps links as links.
  2. 2
    Destination — the folder that receives the copy.
  3. 3
    The result — the link exists again in the copy, pointing to the same target.
  4. 4
    F5 Copy — copies the selection to the other pane. F6 Move moves it.
  5. 5
    Status — copied, skipped and errors.
  6. 6
    Log — every link re-created, then the summary.
Already there? If an item exists at the destination, the Files Manager asks: overwrite, skip or cancel.

Keys and buttons

KeyAction
F5Copy the selection to the other pane — links stay links
F6Move the selection — on the same drive an instant rename; across drives the source is deleted only if the copy had no error
F2Rename
F7New folder
F8 / DelDelete — permanent; a link is removed without touching its target
BackspaceParent folder
SwapExchange the two panes
ExplorerOpen the active folder in Windows Explorer

Troubleshooting

Does Delete use the Recycle Bin?

No, it is permanent. A link is removed as a link: the folder it points to is never touched.

The log stays quiet during a long copy.

Ordinary files are not listed one by one, to keep the log readable. It shows the start, the scan, each top-level item, every link, the errors and the final summary.

Creating a symbolic link failed.

Windows only lets a normal account create symbolic links when Developer Mode is on (Settings › System › For developers). Folder links are then re-created as junctions, which need no rights.