There are different types of reference links with somewhat different functions. Reference links can also be called junctions, or networked folders, depending on your operating system and how it references a file or directory. Aliases (Mac) and shortcuts (Windows) are like labels that point to a file. Symlinks are like clones of the file that, in most cases, behave as if they are the original. For this reason, aliases and shortcuts shared on Dropbox may not open on devices with unmatched paths.