This article will address the topic of Folder redirection, which has become relevant in various areas of today's society. Since its emergence until today, Folder redirection has aroused the interest of specialists, researchers and the general public, due to its impact and repercussion on different aspects of daily life. Along these lines, the different facets and dimensions that Folder redirection encompasses will be analyzed, as well as its implications and challenges in the current context. Likewise, various perspectives and approaches that have emerged around Folder redirection will be reviewed, with the aim of enriching the debate and providing a comprehensive vision of this phenomenon.
In computing, and specifically in the context of Microsoft Windows operating systems, Microsoft refers to Folder Redirection when automatically re-routing I/O to/from standard folders (directories) to use storage elsewhere on a network.
It is often used in an office network environment, to ensure that users do not store data locally, when a network device is the preferred storage location. Folder Redirection allows saving data regardless of storage location and separates user data from profile data decreasing the time required to log on.
Under Microsoft Windows, the redirection is often performed by Group Policy, when used in an Active Directory environment. It can also be performed by manually editing the Windows Registry, changing library locations, or with tools such as Tweak UI. Disk quotas can be used to limit the amount of space taken up by users' special folders. The %username%
and %userprofile%
environment variables can also be used with Folder Redirection.
Up to Windows XP, the Application Data, Desktop, My Documents, My Pictures, and Start Menu special folders can be redirected to a file server. Windows XP also implements a Recycle Bin for the My Documents folder.
Windows Vista introduces the ability to independently redirect up to 10 user profile sub-folders to a network location. There is also a Management Console snap-in in Windows Vista to allow users to configure Folder Redirection for clients running Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000. Each redirected folder in Vista and later also has a Recycle Bin associated with it.
Under Windows 7 and later, the following user folders may be redirected: AppData/Roaming, Contacts, Desktop, Downloads, Favorites, Links, Music, Documents, Pictures, Saved Games, Searches, Start Menu, and Videos.
The equivalent functionality is achieved in Unix-like systems by using mount
or ln
and a NFS or CIF.