What is a .LNK file?
LNK is a Windows shortcut pointing to a program or file. Created and opened by Windows.
- Did you know
- Shortcuts have been part of Windows since Windows 95 in 1995, and quietly record the target’s details.
- A Windows shortcut quietly records forensic detail about its target, including the target’s timestamps and the volume serial number.
- Despite pointing at another file, an .lnk is itself a structured binary file, not a copy or alias of the target’s contents.
- What Analyser reads
- Decode shortcut files: Windows shortcuts (LNK) - target path, arguments, working directory, icon, hotkey, window state, and target timestamp - plus internet shortcuts (URL) and macOS web shortcuts (WEBLOC), surfacing the URL or path they point to.
- Depth of analysis
- .LNK is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
- Open a .LNK file
- Drag a .LNK file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.
- Related formats
- .URL · .WEBLOC. See all supported file types.