diff --git a/Documentation/git-difftool.adoc b/Documentation/git-difftool.adoc
index dd7cacf95e35df..5faca9fb91e9c6 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-difftool.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-difftool.adoc
@@ -85,7 +85,9 @@ with custom merge tool commands and has the same value as `$MERGED`.
 	the working tree.
 +
 Specifying `--no-symlinks` instructs `git difftool` to create copies
-instead.  `--no-symlinks` is the default on Windows.
+instead. The default follows `core.symlinks`. If unset, native Windows
+builds default to copies unless `MSYS=winsymlinks:nativestrict` is set;
+other builds default to symlinks.
 
 `-x <command>`::
 `--extcmd=<command>`::
diff --git a/builtin/difftool.c b/builtin/difftool.c
index a08928cb664414..9f60254cac53e5 100644
--- a/builtin/difftool.c
+++ b/builtin/difftool.c
@@ -56,7 +56,6 @@ static int difftool_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 	}
 	if (!strcmp(var, "core.symlinks")) {
 		dt_options->has_symlinks = git_config_bool(var, value);
-		return 0;
 	}
 
 	return git_default_config(var, value, ctx, cb);
@@ -734,7 +733,7 @@ int cmd_difftool(int argc,
 	int use_gui_tool = -1, dir_diff = 0, prompt = -1, tool_help = 0, no_index = 0;
 	static char *difftool_cmd = NULL, *extcmd = NULL;
 	struct difftool_options dt_options = {
-		.has_symlinks = 1,
+		.has_symlinks = platform_has_symlinks(),
 		.symlinks = 1,
 		.trust_exit_code = 0
 	};
diff --git a/t/t7800-difftool.sh b/t/t7800-difftool.sh
index 40983602b7e9a6..f9b18d907078e9 100755
--- a/t/t7800-difftool.sh
+++ b/t/t7800-difftool.sh
@@ -645,6 +645,20 @@ test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'difftool --dir-diff --symlinks without unstaged ch
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
+test_expect_success MINGW,SYMLINKS 'difftool honors core.symlinks on Windows' '
+	test_config difftool.test-tool.cmd "test -L \"\$REMOTE/file\"" &&
+	MSYS= git -c core.symlinks=true difftool --dir-diff \
+		--tool=test-tool --trust-exit-code branch HEAD
+'
+
+test_expect_success MINGW 'difftool defaults to copies on Windows' '
+	test_unconfig core.symlinks &&
+	test_config difftool.test-tool.cmd \
+		"test -f \"\$REMOTE/file\" && test ! -L \"\$REMOTE/file\"" &&
+	MSYS= git difftool --dir-diff --tool=test-tool --trust-exit-code \
+		branch HEAD
+'
+
 write_script modify-right-file <<\EOF
 echo "modified content" >"$2/file"
 EOF