Fix 0x1127 Reparse Attribute Conflict Error

You're on a Windows Server 2019 box, or maybe a Windows 10 workstation, and you try to create a symbolic link or junction to move a folder to a different drive. Command returns this:

mklink /J D:\Data C:\Data

The system cannot set the reparse point attribute because it conflicts with an existing attribute.


That's ERROR_REPARSE_ATTRIBUTE_CONFLICT, error code 0x1127. I've seen this pop up when someone's already tried a half-baked migration, or when a backup tool left a leftover reparse tag on the target. It's a classic.

What's Actually Going On
Windows uses reparse points to mark files and folders that need special handling—symlinks, junctions, OneDrive placeholders, all that. Each reparse point has a tag that says what kind it is. The error means the target folder already carries a reparse point tag, but it's not the one you're trying to set. Your new tag clashes with the old one.
Most of the time it's because the target folder is already a symlink or junction itself, or it has a file attribute like FILE_ATTRIBUTE_REPARSE_POINT set without a valid reparse data buffer. Could be leftover from a failed tool or malware that messed with the filesystem.
The fix is simple: clear the existing reparse point first. But you gotta be careful not to delete the data inside.

The Fix: Clear the Old Reparse Point

Open an elevated Command Prompt. Right-click Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator." You need admin for this.
Identify the exact path. In my case it was D:\Data. Write yours down.
Check what's there. Run this to see if the target has any reparse point:

fsutil reparsepoint query "D:\Data"

If it returns a tag like 0x40000000 or something else, that's your culprit.

Remove the existing reparse point. Run this command:

fsutil reparsepoint delete "D:\Data"

This clears the reparse point but leaves the actual data intact. You'll see a message saying the reparse point was deleted.

Now create your junction or symlink again. Use your original command:

mklink /J D:\Data C:\Data

Should work now.

If It Still Fails
Sometimes the reparse point is stuck deeper. Try these:

Check for hidden attributes. Run attrib "D:\Data" — if you see R for read-only or S for system, clear them with attrib -R -S "D:\Data" and then try the reparse delete again.
Use robocopy to a fresh folder. If the folder is contaminated, robocopy the contents to a new empty folder, delete the old one, and set up the junction on the clean path.
Check if the path is actually a mount point. Mounted volumes also use reparse points. You might need to dismount that volume first via Disk Management.
Run chkdsk. If the NTFS metadata is corrupted, chkdsk /f D: might fix it. But back up first, because chkdsk can be aggressive.

I had a client last month whose entire backup script died because a backup tool left a phantom reparse point on the target. One fsutil reparsepoint delete and the script was back in business. Don't overthink it—that command clears 90% of these cases.