diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index f22f147e..1cd18062 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -4658,12 +4658,14 @@
         "balanced-match": {
           "version": "1.0.0",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "brace-expansion": {
           "version": "1.1.11",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "balanced-match": "^1.0.0",
             "concat-map": "0.0.1"
@@ -4678,17 +4680,20 @@
         "code-point-at": {
           "version": "1.1.0",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "concat-map": {
           "version": "0.0.1",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "console-control-strings": {
           "version": "1.1.0",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "core-util-is": {
           "version": "1.0.2",
@@ -4805,7 +4810,8 @@
         "inherits": {
           "version": "2.0.3",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "ini": {
           "version": "1.3.5",
@@ -4817,6 +4823,7 @@
           "version": "1.0.0",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "number-is-nan": "^1.0.0"
           }
@@ -4831,6 +4838,7 @@
           "version": "3.0.4",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "brace-expansion": "^1.1.7"
           }
@@ -4838,12 +4846,14 @@
         "minimist": {
           "version": "0.0.8",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "minipass": {
           "version": "2.3.5",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "safe-buffer": "^5.1.2",
             "yallist": "^3.0.0"
@@ -4862,6 +4872,7 @@
           "version": "0.5.1",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "minimist": "0.0.8"
           }
@@ -4942,7 +4953,8 @@
         "number-is-nan": {
           "version": "1.0.1",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true
+          "dev": true,
+          "optional": true
         },
         "object-assign": {
           "version": "4.1.1",
@@ -4954,6 +4966,7 @@
           "version": "1.4.0",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "wrappy": "1"
           }
@@ -5075,6 +5088,7 @@
           "version": "1.0.2",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
+          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "code-point-at": "^1.0.0",
             "is-fullwidth-code-point": "^1.0.0",
diff --git a/src/processPattern.js b/src/processPattern.js
index 289f0ee2..1b2f5583 100644
--- a/src/processPattern.js
+++ b/src/processPattern.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export default function processPattern(globalRef, pattern) {
   const globOptions = Object.assign(
     {
       cwd: pattern.context,
+      follow: true,
     },
     pattern.globOptions || {}
   );
diff --git a/test/CopyPlugin.test.js b/test/CopyPlugin.test.js
index a332750f..6b1ab263 100644
--- a/test/CopyPlugin.test.js
+++ b/test/CopyPlugin.test.js
@@ -85,6 +85,22 @@ describe('apply function', () => {
       // Get a mock compiler to pass to plugin.apply
       const compiler = opts.compiler || new MockCompiler();
 
+      const isWin = process.platform === 'win32';
+
+      if (!opts.symlink || isWin) {
+        if (!opts.options) {
+          // eslint-disable-next-line no-param-reassign
+          opts.options = {};
+        }
+
+        if (!opts.options.ignore) {
+          // eslint-disable-next-line no-param-reassign
+          opts.options.ignore = [];
+        }
+
+        opts.options.ignore.push('symlink/**/*');
+      }
+
       new CopyPlugin(opts.patterns, opts.options).apply(compiler);
 
       // Call the registered function with a mock compilation and callback
@@ -657,6 +673,31 @@ describe('apply function', () => {
         .then(done)
         .catch(done);
     });
+
+    it('can use a glob to move a file to the root directory from symbolic link', (done) => {
+      runEmit({
+        // Windows doesn't support symbolic link
+        symlink: true,
+        expectedAssetKeys:
+          process.platform === 'win32'
+            ? []
+            : [
+                'symlink/directory-ln/file.txt',
+                'symlink/directory-ln/nested-directory/file-in-nested-directory.txt',
+                'symlink/directory/file.txt',
+                'symlink/directory/nested-directory/file-in-nested-directory.txt',
+                'symlink/file-ln.txt',
+                'symlink/file.txt',
+              ],
+        patterns: [
+          {
+            from: 'symlink/**/*.txt',
+          },
+        ],
+      })
+        .then(done)
+        .catch(done);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('with file in from', () => {
@@ -1180,7 +1221,7 @@ describe('apply function', () => {
         patterns: [
           {
             from: '**/*',
-            ignore: ['file.*'],
+            ignore: ['file.*', 'file-in-nested-directory.*'],
           },
         ],
       })
@@ -1274,6 +1315,21 @@ describe('apply function', () => {
         .then(done)
         .catch(done);
     });
+
+    it('can move a file (symbolic link) to the root directory', (done) => {
+      // Windows doesn't support symbolic link
+      runEmit({
+        symlink: true,
+        expectedAssetKeys: process.platform === 'win32' ? [] : ['file-ln.txt'],
+        patterns: [
+          {
+            from: 'symlink/file-ln.txt',
+          },
+        ],
+      })
+        .then(done)
+        .catch(done);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('with directory in from', () => {
@@ -1611,6 +1667,24 @@ describe('apply function', () => {
         .then(done)
         .catch(done);
     });
+
+    it("can move a directory's contents to the root directory from symbolic link", (done) => {
+      runEmit({
+        // Windows doesn't support symbolic link
+        symlink: true,
+        expectedAssetKeys:
+          process.platform === 'win32'
+            ? []
+            : ['file.txt', 'nested-directory/file-in-nested-directory.txt'],
+        patterns: [
+          {
+            from: 'symlink/directory-ln',
+          },
+        ],
+      })
+        .then(done)
+        .catch(done);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('with simple string patterns', () => {
diff --git a/test/helpers/symlink/directory-ln b/test/helpers/symlink/directory-ln
new file mode 120000
index 00000000..097fc790
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/helpers/symlink/directory-ln
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+./directory/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/helpers/symlink/directory/file.txt b/test/helpers/symlink/directory/file.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/test/helpers/symlink/directory/nested-directory/file-in-nested-directory.txt b/test/helpers/symlink/directory/nested-directory/file-in-nested-directory.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/test/helpers/symlink/file-ln.txt b/test/helpers/symlink/file-ln.txt
new file mode 120000
index 00000000..4c330738
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/helpers/symlink/file-ln.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+file.txt
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/helpers/symlink/file.txt b/test/helpers/symlink/file.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1269488f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/helpers/symlink/file.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+data