The AFS redirector driver represents all AFS mount points and AFS symlinks as reparse points within the file system name space using a Microsoft assigned tag value. Tools that are OpenAFS reparse point aware can create, query and remove AFS symlinks and mount points without requiring knowledge of AFS pioctls. The explorer shell will be able to delete a mount point or symlink as part of a recursive directory tree removal without crossing into the reparse point target.

The Explorer Shell displays Symlinks and Mount Points using overlay icons.

Beginning with 1.7.22, AFS Symlinks are represented as Microsoft Symlink reparse points instead of an OpenAFS specific reparse point. Symlinks can now be created using the Win32 CreateSymbolicLink API and follow all of the behaviors of Microsoft Windows' Symbolic Links. Any tool capable of creating symbolic links on NTFS can now do so within AFS.

Symbolic Links to Files are not supported by all Microsoft Windows applications because directory enumerations, GetFileAttributes and GetFileAttributesEx return the attributes and size of the Symbolic Link and not that of the target file. Applications that treat the size of the Symbolic Link as the size of the target file will misbehave. All Java releases 1.6.x and earlier and all .NET applications as of this writing use the Symbolic Link size as the size of the target file. Java 1.7 correctly processes Symbolic Links.