diff --git a/cmd/micro/micro_test.go b/cmd/micro/micro_test.go
index 09cad432cb..5f1b71d8c8 100644
--- a/cmd/micro/micro_test.go
+++ b/cmd/micro/micro_test.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/micro-editor/micro/v2/internal/buffer"
 	"github.com/micro-editor/micro/v2/internal/config"
 	"github.com/micro-editor/micro/v2/internal/screen"
+	"github.com/micro-editor/micro/v2/internal/util"
 	"github.com/micro-editor/tcell/v2"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
@@ -157,8 +158,9 @@ func openFile(file string) {
 
 func findBuffer(file string) *buffer.Buffer {
 	var buf *buffer.Buffer
+	_, file = util.ResolvePath(file)
 	for _, b := range buffer.OpenBuffers {
-		if b.Path == file {
+		if b.AbsPath == file {
 			buf = b
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/internal/buffer/buffer.go b/internal/buffer/buffer.go
index 2735ca467c..6c077d8f90 100644
--- a/internal/buffer/buffer.go
+++ b/internal/buffer/buffer.go
@@ -355,9 +355,9 @@ func NewBufferFromString(text, path string, btype BufType) *Buffer {
 // Places the cursor at startcursor. If startcursor is -1, -1 places the
 // cursor at an autodetected location (based on savecursor or :LINE:COL)
 func NewBuffer(r io.Reader, size int64, path string, btype BufType, cmd Command) *Buffer {
-	absPath, err := filepath.Abs(path)
-	if err != nil {
-		absPath = path
+	absPath := path
+	if btype == BTDefault && path != "" {
+		path, absPath = util.ResolvePath(path)
 	}
 
 	b := new(Buffer)
@@ -391,6 +391,7 @@ func NewBuffer(r io.Reader, size int64, path string, btype BufType, cmd Command)
 		}
 		config.UpdatePathGlobLocals(b.Settings, absPath)
 
+		var err error
 		b.encoding, err = htmlindex.Get(b.Settings["encoding"].(string))
 		if err != nil {
 			b.encoding = unicode.UTF8
@@ -489,7 +490,7 @@ func NewBuffer(r io.Reader, size int64, path string, btype BufType, cmd Command)
 		}
 	}
 
-	err = config.RunPluginFn("onBufferOpen", luar.New(ulua.L, b))
+	err := config.RunPluginFn("onBufferOpen", luar.New(ulua.L, b))
 	if err != nil {
 		screen.TermMessage(err)
 	}
@@ -524,10 +525,12 @@ func (b *Buffer) Close() {
 // Fini should be called when a buffer is closed and performs
 // some cleanup
 func (b *Buffer) Fini() {
-	if !b.Modified() {
-		b.Serialize()
+	if !b.Shared() {
+		if !b.Modified() {
+			b.Serialize()
+		}
+		b.CancelBackup()
 	}
-	b.CancelBackup()
 
 	if b.Type == BTStdout {
 		fmt.Fprint(util.Stdout, string(b.Bytes()))
diff --git a/internal/buffer/save.go b/internal/buffer/save.go
index 44e8f4a3ed..a1d86172b0 100644
--- a/internal/buffer/save.go
+++ b/internal/buffer/save.go
@@ -285,10 +285,7 @@ func (b *Buffer) saveToFile(filename string, withSudo bool, autoSave bool) error
 		return errors.New("Error: " + filename + " is not a regular file and cannot be saved")
 	}
 
-	absFilename, err := filepath.Abs(filename)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
+	filename, absFilename := util.ResolvePath(filename)
 
 	// Get the leading path to the file | "." is returned if there's no leading path provided
 	if dirname := filepath.Dir(absFilename); dirname != "." {
diff --git a/internal/util/util.go b/internal/util/util.go
index cad6374349..e10ebc90e8 100644
--- a/internal/util/util.go
+++ b/internal/util/util.go
@@ -489,6 +489,40 @@ func DetermineEscapePath(dir string, path string) (string, string) {
 	return url, ""
 }
 
+// ResolvePath provides the absolute file path for the given relative file path
+// as well as resolves symlinks in both. It returns the relative path with
+// symlinks resolved and the absolute path with symlinks resolved. If it fails
+// to get the absolute path or to resolve symlinks, it returns unresolved path
+// in place of resolved one. The only exception is the case in which the target
+// file doesn't exist. We leave the path handling to EvalSymlinks() and use the
+// path causing the error as target path.
+func ResolvePath(path string) (string, string) {
+	resolvedPath, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(path)
+	if err == nil {
+		path = resolvedPath
+	} else if errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist) {
+		if e, ok := err.(*fs.PathError); ok {
+			path = e.Path
+		}
+	}
+
+	absPath, err := filepath.Abs(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		absPath = path
+	}
+
+	resolvedPath, err = filepath.EvalSymlinks(absPath)
+	if err == nil {
+		absPath = resolvedPath
+	} else if errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist) {
+		if e, ok := err.(*fs.PathError); ok {
+			absPath = e.Path
+		}
+	}
+
+	return path, absPath
+}
+
 // GetLeadingWhitespace returns the leading whitespace of the given byte array
 func GetLeadingWhitespace(b []byte) []byte {
 	ws := []byte{}