1 Introduction

This is a specification of the Shell Link Binary File Format. In this format a structure is called a shell link, or shortcut, and is a data object that contains information that can be used to access another data object. The Shell Link Binary File Format is the format of Windows files with the extension "LNK".

Shell links are commonly used to support application launching and linking scenarios, such as Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), but they also can be used by applications that need the ability to store a reference to a target file.

Sections 1.7 and 2 of this specification are normative. All other sections and examples in this specification are informative.