---
title: "linkItem(at:to:)"
framework: foundation
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Method
path: "foundation/filemanager/linkitem(at:to:)"
---

# linkItem(at:to:)

Creates a hard link between the items at the specified URLs.

## Declaration

```swift
func linkItem(at srcURL: URL, to dstURL: URL) throws
```

## Parameters

- `srcURL`: The file URL that identifies the source of the link. The URL in this parameter must not be a file reference URL; it must specify the actual path to the item. The value in this parameter must not be nil.
- `dstURL`: The file URL that specifies where you want to create the hard link. The URL in this parameter must not be a file reference URL; it must specify the actual path to the item. The value in this parameter must not be nil.

## Discussion

Discussion Use this method to create hard links between files in the current file system. If srcURL is a directory, this method creates a new directory at dstURL and then creates hard links for the items in that directory. If srcURL is (or contains) a symbolic link, the symbolic link is copied and not converted to a hard link at dstURL. Prior to linking each item, the file manager asks its delegate if it should actually create the link. It does this by calling the fileManager(_:shouldLinkItemAt:to:) method; if that method is not implemented it calls the fileManager(_:shouldLinkItemAtPath:toPath:) method instead. If the delegate method returns true, or if the delegate does not implement the appropriate methods, the file manager creates the hard link. If there is an error linking one out of several items, the file manager may also call the delegate’s fileManager(_:shouldProceedAfterError:linkingItemAt:to:) or fileManager(_:shouldProceedAfterError:linkingItemAtPath:toPath:) method to determine how to proceed. note: In Swift, this method returns Void and is marked with the throws keyword to indicate that it throws an error in cases of failure. You call this method in a try expression and handle any errors in the catch clauses of a do statement, as described in Error Handling in The Swift Programming Language and About Imported Cocoa Error Parameters.

## See Also

### Creating symbolic and hard links

- [createSymbolicLink(at:withDestinationURL:)](foundation/filemanager/createsymboliclink(at:withdestinationurl:).md)
- [createSymbolicLink(atPath:withDestinationPath:)](foundation/filemanager/createsymboliclink(atpath:withdestinationpath:).md)
- [linkItem(atPath:toPath:)](foundation/filemanager/linkitem(atpath:topath:).md)
- [destinationOfSymbolicLink(atPath:)](foundation/filemanager/destinationofsymboliclink(atpath:).md)