The Mac OS X and macOS operating systems support several types of shortcuts to files and folders. Shortcuts make it easy to navigate to objects buried deep in the file system. Macs support three types of shortcuts:

All three types of links are shortcuts to an original file system object. A file system object is usually a file on your Mac, but it can also be a folder, a disk, or a network device.

Shortcuts are small files that point to another file object. When the system encounters a shortcut, it reads the file, which contains information about where the original object is located, and then opens that object. Typically, this happens without the user realizing that they have encountered a link of a particular type. All three types of links appear transparent to the user or app that uses them.

This transparency allows shortcuts to be used for a variety of purposes. One of the most common is to easily access a file or folder that is buried deep in the file system. For example, you might have an accounting folder in your Documents folder to store bank statements and other financial information. If you use this folder often, you can create an alias for it and place it on your desktop. Instead of using the Finder to navigate through multiple folder levels to access the accounting folder, you can click on the desktop alias. The alias will take you directly to the folder and its files, bypassing a lengthy navigation process.