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LNK Reader

LNK Reader lets you open .lnk shortcut files on Linux and macOS.

A .lnk file is usually a shortcut created on Windows.

With LNK Reader, you can double-click a .lnk file and open its real target, even when the shortcut points to:

• another drive
• an external disk
• a mounted partition
• a shared network folder
• an SMB share like \\server\share

The goal is simple:

Double-click the shortcut.
Open the real file or folder.

No terminal is needed for normal use.

Capture.video.du.24-09-2023.01.32.40.webm

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Contents

• About
• Install
• Usage
• macOS
• Network
• Mappings
• Cache
• Logs
• Dev
• Requirements
• Limits
• Help
• License

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About

LNK Reader is useful when you are on Linux or macOS and you receive .lnk files created on Windows.

For example, someone may send you a shortcut pointing to:

\\192.168.1.50\shared_folder\project

or:

F:\Documents\Project

Normally, Linux and macOS do not open .lnk files like Windows does.

LNK Reader reads the shortcut, tries to understand where it points, and opens the correct file, folder, or network location.

What it can open

LNK Reader can open shortcuts pointing to:

• files
• folders
• mounted drives
• external disks
• network folders
• SMB shares

Examples:

F:\Documents\file.pdf

\\server\share\folder

\\192.168.1.50\share_name\folder\file.txt

What it cannot do

LNK Reader does not give access to private folders.

If a network share needs a username or password, your operating system may still ask for it.

LNK Reader can help open the right address, but it cannot bypass permissions.

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Install

Easy install

Run:

./setup.sh

This installs the app and tries to set up desktop integration.

Manual install

You can also build and install it manually:

make
sudo make install

Uninstall

Run:

./uninstall.sh

This removes the installed app and desktop integration.

It does not delete your personal files.

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Usage

Normal use

Double-click a .lnk file.

Or right-click it and choose:

Open With -> LNK Reader

On macOS, after installation, use:

Open With -> Open LNK

If the target is found

LNK Reader opens the target directly.

The target can be a file, a folder, a mounted drive, or a network location.

If the target is not found

LNK Reader may show a small assistant window.

The assistant asks you where the drive or network share is mounted on your system.

For example, if a shortcut points to:

F:\Documents

LNK Reader may ask where drive F: is mounted.

Once you select the correct folder, LNK Reader remembers it for next time.

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macOS

On macOS, the real command-line tool is called:

open_lnk

Finder usually does not show command-line tools in the “Open With” menu.

That is why the installer creates a small app wrapper:

Open LNK.app

After running setup.sh, you can set it as the default app for .lnk files:

Right-click a .lnk file
Get Info
Open with
Choose Open LNK
Change All

If Finder does not refresh immediately, restart Finder:

killall Finder

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Network

Many .lnk files point to shared folders.

Example:

\\192.168.1.50\share_name

LNK Reader understands this kind of path.

On macOS, it can try to open it directly as:

smb://192.168.1.50/share_name

This helps avoid asking the user to manually select a mounted folder when the system can already handle SMB links.

The operating system may still ask for credentials if the share is protected.

Example

A shortcut pointing to:

\\192.168.1.50\share_name\folder\file.txt

can be opened as:

smb://192.168.1.50/share_name/folder/file.txt

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Mappings

Sometimes a shortcut points to a Windows path, but your Linux or macOS system uses another path.

For example, the shortcut says:

F:\Projects

But on your system, that drive is mounted here:

/media/me/PROJECTS

You can tell LNK Reader how to translate paths using a mapping file.

Mapping file location:

~/.config/windows-link-reader/mappings.conf

Drive mapping

F:=/media/me/PROJECTS

This means:

F:\something

becomes:

/media/me/PROJECTS/something

Network share to local folder

//server/share=/mnt/share

This means:

\\server\share\folder

becomes:

/mnt/share/folder

Network share to SMB

//server/share=smb://server/share

This means:

\\server\share\folder

becomes:

smb://server/share/folder

Another example:

//192.168.1.50/share_name=smb://192.168.1.50/share_name

This is especially useful on macOS.

Supported shortcuts

On the right side of a mapping, you can use:

~
~/folder
$HOME
$HOME/folder
${HOME}
${HOME}/folder

Example:

Z:=$HOME/my_drive

For network share names, you can also use:

$USER
${USER}

Example:

\\server\home\$USER=$HOME/server_home

No other shell expansion is done.

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Cache

LNK Reader remembers some choices so you do not have to repeat them every time.

Cache file:

~/.cache/windows-link-reader/links.conf

or:

$XDG_CACHE_HOME/windows-link-reader/links.conf

You usually do not need to edit this file manually.

To clear the cache:

open_lnk --clear-cache

This can help if the wrong folder opens.

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Logs

When launched from a graphical desktop, LNK Reader writes a small log file.

Default log file:

~/.cache/windows-link-reader/open_lnk.log

or:

$XDG_CACHE_HOME/windows-link-reader/open_lnk.log

This file can help when reporting a bug.

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Dev

You can run the tool manually:

open_lnk file.lnk

Debug mode:

open_lnk --debug file.lnk

Show version:

open_lnk --version

Clear cache:

open_lnk --clear-cache

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Requirements

Build

• C compiler, for example gcc or clang
• make

Runtime

Linux:

• xdg-open

macOS:

• open, included by default

Optional on Linux:

• zenity, for graphical dialogs
• notify-send, for desktop notifications

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Limits

LNK Reader is a best-effort tool.

It supports many common .lnk files, but not every possible advanced shortcut feature.

Network folders may still require login credentials.

SMB links depend on the operating system’s SMB support.

If a shortcut points to a file that does not exist anymore, LNK Reader cannot open it.

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Help

If a shortcut does not open, try running:

open_lnk --debug file.lnk

Then check the log file:

~/.cache/windows-link-reader/open_lnk.log

If the wrong folder opens, clear the cache:

open_lnk --clear-cache

If a network share asks for a password, that is normal if the share is protected.

LNK Reader can open the SMB address, but the operating system handles authentication.

Report a bug

Please open an issue here:

https://github.com/SECRET-GUEST/windows_link_reader/issues

When reporting a bug, please include:

• your operating system
• what the .lnk file points to, if possible
• whether the target is local, mounted, or network-based
• the log file, if available

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License

See the license file in this repository.

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