Can I open a .lnk file on a Mac?

Not as a shortcut: the program or file it points to is on the Windows computer that made it. This page shows you where that is, so you know what to ask for or where to find it in a backup.

Is a .lnk file a virus?

Usually not: almost every Windows program installs one. But a shortcut that arrives by email or in a zip, especially one named like a document, is a common way to deliver malware. If this page shows it runs PowerShell, cmd, mshta or a script, or flags a hidden command, delete it without opening it on Windows.

Why does the computer name show up?

Windows records, inside every shortcut, the name of the computer it was made on and the network card's address, so it can find the target if it moves. Investigators use this to trace where a shortcut came from. It also means a shortcut you send someone tells them your computer's name.

Is the .lnk file uploaded?

No. It is read by this browser tab on your own device and nothing in it is run.

Stays on your computer How this works

Open a LNK file: see what a Windows shortcut opens

A .lnk file is a Windows shortcut: it points at a program, file or folder on the computer that made it. Drop one here on any device to see its target, arguments and dates, and to check it is not hiding a command. Nothing in it is run, and the file is not uploaded.

Drop a .lnk file here, or click to choose oneIt is opened by your browser, on this computer. Nothing is uploaded.

About Windows shortcut files

Every shortcut on a Windows desktop or Start menu is a .lnk file. It is not the program or document itself, only a note of where it is - C:\Program Files\... or a folder on a network share - and how to start it. Copied to a USB stick, emailed or found in a backup, it is useless without the original computer, and a Mac or phone cannot read it at all. Windows also hides the .lnk extension, even when "show file extensions" is on, which is why a shortcut called "Invoice.pdf" looks like a PDF.

That makes shortcuts a favourite way to send malware: the "document" has a PDF or Word icon, but it runs PowerShell or another Windows tool with a hidden command. This page reads the shortcut as Microsoft documents it and shows exactly what it would run, and warns when it uses those tricks - a command interpreter, an encoded or downloaded command, a hidden window, arguments padded with spaces, a borrowed icon. It is free to use, with no account and no upload limit, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and while the page stays open, a feature you have already used keeps working offline.

What you can do

See the full path of the program, file or folder a .lnk opens, on a local disk or a network share
See the arguments it passes, the folder it starts in, its icon, window and shortcut key
Get warnings for shortcuts that run PowerShell, cmd, mshta or scripts, hide their window, or hide their command
See the target's size and dates, the drive and the name of the computer the shortcut was made on
Copy the command line to check it or search for it

How to see what a shortcut opens

Drop the .lnk file on the box above, or click the box and choose it. On Windows, the file picker shows shortcuts by their names without .lnk.
Read what it opens, and any warnings in red.
If it points at a file on another computer, ask the person who sent it for that file instead.

Questions

Can I open a .lnk file on a Mac?: Not as a shortcut: the program or file it points to is on the Windows computer that made it. This page shows you where that is, so you know what to ask for or where to find it in a backup.
Is a .lnk file a virus?: Usually not: almost every Windows program installs one. But a shortcut that arrives by email or in a zip, especially one named like a document, is a common way to deliver malware. If this page shows it runs PowerShell, cmd, mshta or a script, or flags a hidden command, delete it without opening it on Windows.
Why does the computer name show up?: Windows records, inside every shortcut, the name of the computer it was made on and the network card's address, so it can find the target if it moves. Investigators use this to trace where a shortcut came from. It also means a shortcut you send someone tells them your computer's name.
Is the .lnk file uploaded?: No. It is read by this browser tab on your own device and nothing in it is run.

For web shortcuts (.url and .webloc), use the URL Shortcut Opener. To check a .reg file before running it, use the REG File Viewer.