diff --git a/system/Helpers/filesystem_helper.php b/system/Helpers/filesystem_helper.php
index 47c829bbc3c6..4e0e8b1532e9 100644
--- a/system/Helpers/filesystem_helper.php
+++ b/system/Helpers/filesystem_helper.php
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ function get_filenames(
 
         try {
             foreach (new RecursiveIteratorIterator(
-                new RecursiveDirectoryIterator($sourceDir, RecursiveDirectoryIterator::SKIP_DOTS),
+                new RecursiveDirectoryIterator($sourceDir, RecursiveDirectoryIterator::SKIP_DOTS | FilesystemIterator::FOLLOW_SYMLINKS),
                 RecursiveIteratorIterator::SELF_FIRST
             ) as $name => $object) {
                 $basename = pathinfo($name, PATHINFO_BASENAME);
diff --git a/user_guide_src/source/changelogs/v4.4.4.rst b/user_guide_src/source/changelogs/v4.4.4.rst
index bb4250f1e63f..f7130f54e7a9 100644
--- a/user_guide_src/source/changelogs/v4.4.4.rst
+++ b/user_guide_src/source/changelogs/v4.4.4.rst
@@ -27,6 +27,12 @@ Validation rules matches and differs
 Bugs have been fixed in the case where ``matches`` and ``differs`` in the Strict
 and Traditional rules validate data of non-string types.
 
+Filesystem Helper
+=================
+
+:php:func:`get_filenames()` now follows symlink folders, which it previously just returned
+without following.
+
 ***************
 Message Changes
 ***************
diff --git a/user_guide_src/source/helpers/filesystem_helper.rst b/user_guide_src/source/helpers/filesystem_helper.rst
index 75062ae054a3..b95ae2134fb7 100644
--- a/user_guide_src/source/helpers/filesystem_helper.rst
+++ b/user_guide_src/source/helpers/filesystem_helper.rst
@@ -164,6 +164,8 @@ The following functions are available:
     the second parameter to 'relative' for relative paths or any other non-empty value for
     a full file path.
 
+    .. note:: Prior to v4.4.4, due to a bug, this function did not follow symlink folders.
+
     Example:
 
     .. literalinclude:: filesystem_helper/010.php