diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index b543cdf2d8..159cf7385f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -42,13 +42,14 @@
     "is-ci": "^1.0.10",
     "is-inner-link": "^2.0.0",
     "is-windows": "^1.0.0",
-    "link-dir": "^2.0.0",
+    "link-dir": "^2.0.1",
     "load-json-file": "^2.0.0",
     "load-yaml-file": "^0.1.0",
     "loud-rejection": "^1.6.0",
     "mem": "^1.1.0",
     "mkdirp-promise": "^5.0.1",
     "mz": "^2.6.0",
+    "ncp": "^2.0.0",
     "ndjson": "^1.5.0",
     "node-gyp": "^3.6.0",
     "nopt": "^4.0.1",
@@ -96,7 +97,6 @@
     "in-publish": "^2.0.0",
     "isexe": "^2.0.0",
     "mkdirp": "^0.5.1",
-    "ncp": "^2.0.0",
     "npm-run-all": "^4.0.1",
     "npm-scripts-info": "^0.3.6",
     "pnpm-registry-mock": "^0.9.0",
diff --git a/shrinkwrap.yaml b/shrinkwrap.yaml
index 9e3c2eb6ac..8d7bc3e6b6 100644
--- a/shrinkwrap.yaml
+++ b/shrinkwrap.yaml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ dependencies:
   is-inner-link@^2.0.0: 2.0.0
   is-windows@^1.0.0: 1.0.1
   isexe@^2.0.0: 2.0.0
-  link-dir@^2.0.0: 2.0.0
+  link-dir@^2.0.1: 2.0.1
   load-json-file@^2.0.0: 2.0.0
   load-yaml-file@^0.1.0: 0.1.0
   loud-rejection@^1.6.0: 1.6.0
@@ -1135,7 +1135,7 @@ packages:
   /lazy-cache/1.0.4: a1d78fc3a50474cb80845d3b3b6e1da49a446e8e
   /lazy-req/2.0.0: c9450a363ecdda2e6f0c70132ad4f37f8f06f2b4
   /levenshtein/1.0.2: cd02e8b32075645ddcf5d059e02efa918f9fb3ec
-  /link-dir/2.0.0:
+  /link-dir/2.0.1:
     dependencies:
       '@types/mz': 0.0.30
       '@types/node': 6.0.77
@@ -1144,7 +1144,7 @@ packages:
       mkdirp-promise: 5.0.1
       mz: 2.6.0
       rimraf-then: 1.0.1
-    resolution: 109f177704943a3796ce49b0b518da8757955ac2
+    resolution: ca8c686d6f8f75d1708b9e166c5dafb7c8ba0f04
   /linkify-it/1.2.4:
     dependencies:
       uc.micro: 1.0.3
diff --git a/src/link/index.ts b/src/link/index.ts
index d22e378fa3..edb6b25406 100644
--- a/src/link/index.ts
+++ b/src/link/index.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import fs = require('mz/fs')
 import path = require('path')
-import linkDir from 'link-dir'
+import linkDir = require('link-dir')
 import symlinkDir from 'symlink-dir'
 import exists = require('path-exists')
 import logger from 'pnpm-logger'
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ import logStatus from '../logging/logInstallStatus'
 import updateShrinkwrap from './updateShrinkwrap'
 import {Shrinkwrap, shortIdToFullId, DependencyShrinkwrap} from '../fs/shrinkwrap'
 import removeOrphanPkgs from '../api/removeOrphanPkgs'
+import ncpCB = require('ncp')
+import thenify = require('thenify')
+
+const ncp = thenify(ncpCB)
 
 export default async function (
   topPkgs: InstalledPackage[],
@@ -127,7 +131,14 @@ async function linkNewPackages (
 
   const newPkgs = R.props<DependencyTreeNode>(newPkgResolvedIds, pkgsToLink)
 
-  await linkAllPkgs(newPkgs, opts)
+  try {
+    await linkAllPkgs(linkPkg, newPkgs, opts)
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (!err.message.startsWith('EXDEV: cross-device link not permitted')) throw err
+    logger.warn(err.message)
+    logger.info('Falling back to copying packages from store')
+    await linkAllPkgs(copyPkg, newPkgs, opts)
+  }
 
   if (!opts.force) {
     // add subdependencies that have been updated
@@ -149,6 +160,10 @@ async function linkNewPackages (
 const limitLinking = pLimit(16)
 
 async function linkAllPkgs (
+  linkPkg: (dependency: DependencyTreeNode, opts: {
+    force: boolean,
+    baseNodeModules: string,
+  }) => Promise<void>,
   alldeps: DependencyTreeNode[],
   opts: {
     force: boolean,
@@ -185,6 +200,21 @@ async function linkPkg (
   }
 }
 
+async function copyPkg (
+  dependency: DependencyTreeNode,
+  opts: {
+    force: boolean,
+    baseNodeModules: string,
+  }
+) {
+  const newlyFetched = await dependency.fetchingFiles
+
+  const pkgJsonPath = path.join(dependency.hardlinkedLocation, 'package.json')
+  if (newlyFetched || opts.force || !await exists(pkgJsonPath)) {
+    await ncp(dependency.path, dependency.hardlinkedLocation)
+  }
+}
+
 async function pkgLinkedToStore (pkgJsonPath: string, dependency: DependencyTreeNode) {
   const pkgJsonPathInStore = path.join(dependency.path, 'package.json')
   if (await isSameFile(pkgJsonPath, pkgJsonPathInStore)) return true