Identify the broken symlink using ls -l or find /path/to/dir -xtype l to locate links pointing to non-existent targets. 2. Fix it by either: ? Option A: Restoring the target file or directory to its original path, ? Option B: Removing the broken symlink with rm and recreating it with ln -s to point to the new location, or ? Option C: Recreating the target at the expected path, possibly as another symlink, to satisfy the original link. 3. Prevent future issues by using relative paths, avoiding volatile locations, and regularly scanning for broken links with find /your/dir -xtype l -exec ls -l {} \;. To fix a broken symlink, determine whether to restore the target or update the link, then take appropriate action to reestablish the correct reference.
A broken symbolic link (or symlink) is a shortcut that points to a file or directory that no longer exists. This commonly happens when the target file is moved, renamed, or deleted. Fixing it usually means either restoring the target or updating the link to point to the correct location. Here’s how to handle it:

1. Identify the broken symlink
First, confirm which symlinks are broken. Use the ls
command with -l
to see details:
ls -l /path/to/symlink
If the output shows something like:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 user user 15 Apr 5 10:00 myfile.txt -> /path/to/original.txt ls: cannot access '/path/to/original.txt': No such file or directory
…then the link is broken — the target doesn’t exist.
You can also scan a directory for broken symlinks:

find /path/to/dir -xtype l
This finds only broken symlinks (-xtype l
means "broken link").
2. Decide how to fix it
You have a few options depending on your situation:
? Option A: Restore the target file or directory
If the original file was accidentally deleted or moved, try to:
- Restore it from backup
- Move or recreate the file at the expected path
For example, if the symlink points to /home/user/docs/file.txt
, but it was moved to /home/user/old/file.txt
, move it back:
mv /home/user/old/file.txt /home/user/docs/file.txt
Now the symlink works again.
? Option B: Update the symlink to point to the new location
If the target has moved and you don’t want to move it back, delete the old symlink and create a new one.
Step 1: Remove the broken symlink:
rm /path/to/broken_symlink
?? Be careful: only delete the symlink (the shortcut), not the actual file. If the target still exists, don’t delete it by mistake.
Step 2: Recreate the symlink with ln -s
:
ln -s /new/path/to/target /path/to/symlink
Example:
ln -s /home/user/new-location/file.txt /home/user/docs/myfile.txt
Now the link points to the correct place.
? Option C: Redirect in place (advanced)
If you can’t delete the symlink (e.g., permissions, or used by a system), you may instead recreate the target at the expected path — even as another symlink. For example:
ln -s /actual/current/file.txt /path/expected/by/original/symlink.txt
This "fills in" the missing target, so the original symlink works again.
3. Prevent future broken symlinks
- Use relative paths when possible (e.g.,
ln -s ../data/file.txt link.txt
) so the link works if the whole directory moves. - Avoid symlinks to temporary or volatile locations.
- Regularly audit broken links with:
find /your/dir -xtype l -exec ls -l {} \;
Fixing a broken symlink isn’t hard — you either bring the target back or update the link. The key is knowing where the original was and where it should point now.
Basically: check the link, decide whether to fix the target or the link, then act. Not complicated — just easy to overlook.
The above is the detailed content of How to fix a broken symbolic link. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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