Can Dropbox sync symlinks?

Files of type .lnk are Windows shortcut files. These are just pointers in Windows that point to your original files. Dropbox can't follow these links, so you'll need to place the original files into your Dropbox folder in order to sync them.

There are different types of reference links with somewhat different functions. Reference links can also be called junctions, or networked folders, depending on your operating system and how it references a file or directory.

Aliases (Mac) and shortcuts (Windows) are like labels that point to a file. Symlinks are like clones of the file that, in most cases, behave as if they are the original. For this reason, aliases and shortcuts shared on Dropbox may not open on devices with unmatched paths.

Any items that were synced to your Dropbox account via a symlink that linked outside of your Dropbox folder prior to mid-2019 can be found in a copy of the folder appended with [Folder name] (Symlink Backup Copy). 
 

Any changes made to items in the original location the symlink referenced will no longer sync to your Dropbox account. If you still want to sync the original item, we recommend adding that item to your Dropbox account instead of the symlink.
 

By default, this folder will be unchecked in your selective sync preferences. Learn more about selective sync.

Any items that were synced to your Dropbox account via a symlink that was within a shared folder and that linked outside of a shared Dropbox folder prior to mid-2019 can be found in a new folder named “Shared Symlink Backups”. Any changes made to items in the original location the symlink referenced will no longer sync to your Dropbox account.

Users with access to the shared folder may no longer have access to the content referenced by these symlinks—they will only be able to see the symlink file. If you would like these users to have access to both the symlink and the items it references, you’ll need to move the referenced item inside the shared folder.