By default while running a Windows dev machine, symlinks (symbolic links, soft links) are not shown or at least are not seen from VSCode and Git as such. Regarding the workaround… few things to try.
Prerequisites
- Windows OS
- VSCode
- Git
Solution
Step 1. Make sure to reinstall Git with symlinks enabled. This is done right towards the end of the setup there is this checkbox that needs to be enabled.
Step 2. Make sure Windows Developer mode is enabled. Open the Settings app (Win + I) → Update & Security → For developers → Developer mode option.
Step 3. Enable Developer mode in VSCode: Open VSCode -> File → Preferences → Settings → search for “symlinks” → check the box Allow Symlinks → save changes.
Step 4. Configure global Git settings to enable symlinks. Run:
git config --global core.symlinks true
Step 5. In case of any potential issues, disable autocrlf settings too:
git config --global core.autocrlf false
Step 6. Enable Windows Developer mode for Git. Open a CMD or PowerShell as an administrator and run the following command:
reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem /v LongPathsEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
Step 7. Finally, restart your workstation.
Conclusion
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