diff --git a/src/csync/vio/csync_vio_local_win.cpp b/src/csync/vio/csync_vio_local_win.cpp
index cc31927d566d1..7aa07f4da4eac 100644
--- a/src/csync/vio/csync_vio_local_win.cpp
+++ b/src/csync/vio/csync_vio_local_win.cpp
@@ -163,7 +163,8 @@ std::unique_ptr<csync_file_stat_t> csync_vio_local_readdir(csync_vio_handle_t *h
     } else if (handle->ffd.dwFileAttributes & FILE_ATTRIBUTE_DIRECTORY) {
         file_stat->type = ItemTypeDirectory;
     } else {
-        file_stat->type = ItemTypeFile;
+        // exclude ".lnk" files as they are not essential, but, causing troubles when enabling the VFS due to QFileInfo::isDir() and other methods are freezing, which causes the ".lnk" files to start hydrating and freezing the app eventually.
+        file_stat->type = !OCC::FileSystem::isLnkFile(path) ? ItemTypeFile : ItemTypeSoftLink;
     }
 
     /* Check for the hidden flag */
diff --git a/src/libsync/discovery.cpp b/src/libsync/discovery.cpp
index edded199a7373..b83493c2ba539 100644
--- a/src/libsync/discovery.cpp
+++ b/src/libsync/discovery.cpp
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
  */
 
 #include "discovery.h"
+#include "common/filesystembase.h"
 #include "common/syncjournaldb.h"
 #include "syncfileitem.h"
 #include <QDebug>
@@ -177,9 +178,15 @@ void ProcessDirectoryJob::process()
         // local stat function.
         // Recall file shall not be ignored (#4420)
         bool isHidden = e.localEntry.isHidden || (f.first[0] == '.' && f.first != QLatin1String(".sys.admin#recall#"));
+#ifdef Q_OS_WIN
+        // exclude ".lnk" files as they are not essential, but, causing troubles when enabling the VFS due to QFileInfo::isDir() and other methods are freezing, which causes the ".lnk" files to start hydrating and freezing the app eventually.
+        const bool isServerEntryWindowsShortcut = !e.localEntry.isValid() && e.serverEntry.isValid() && !e.serverEntry.isDirectory && FileSystem::isLnkFile(e.serverEntry.name);
+#else
+        const bool isServerEntryWindowsShortcut = false;
+#endif
         if (handleExcluded(path._target, e.localEntry.name,
                 e.localEntry.isDirectory || e.serverEntry.isDirectory, isHidden,
-                e.localEntry.isSymLink))
+                e.localEntry.isSymLink || isServerEntryWindowsShortcut))
             continue;
 
         if (_queryServer == InBlackList || _discoveryData->isInSelectiveSyncBlackList(path._original)) {
diff --git a/src/libsync/vfs/cfapi/vfs_cfapi.cpp b/src/libsync/vfs/cfapi/vfs_cfapi.cpp
index c9d05ce07e174..dcd75d46d0694 100644
--- a/src/libsync/vfs/cfapi/vfs_cfapi.cpp
+++ b/src/libsync/vfs/cfapi/vfs_cfapi.cpp
@@ -184,6 +184,8 @@ bool VfsCfApi::statTypeVirtualFile(csync_file_stat_t *stat, void *statData)
     const auto hasReparsePoint = (ffd->dwFileAttributes & FILE_ATTRIBUTE_REPARSE_POINT) != 0;
     const auto hasCloudTag = (ffd->dwReserved0 & IO_REPARSE_TAG_CLOUD) != 0;
 
+    const auto isWindowsShortcut = !isDirectory && FileSystem::isLnkFile(stat->path);
+
     // It's a dir with a reparse point due to the placeholder info (hence the cloud tag)
     // if we don't remove the reparse point flag the discovery will end up thinking
     // it is a file... let's prevent it
@@ -195,7 +197,7 @@ bool VfsCfApi::statTypeVirtualFile(csync_file_stat_t *stat, void *statData)
     } else if (isSparseFile && isPinned) {
         stat->type = ItemTypeVirtualFileDownload;
         return true;
-    } else if (!isSparseFile && isUnpinned){
+    } else if (!isSparseFile && isUnpinned && !isWindowsShortcut){
         stat->type = ItemTypeVirtualFileDehydration;
         return true;
     } else if (isSparseFile) {