How To Strikethrough In Excel – A Step-By-Step Guide

Have you ever looked at an Excel spreadsheet brimming with data and thought, “There’s got to be a better way to show what’s no longer relevant?” Perhaps you have outdated information or items slated for removal, but you still want to retain the underlying data for historical purposes. This guide will teach you how to use strikethrough formatting in Excel, a useful tool for visually marking information that may be outdated or unnecessary.

What Is Strikethrough In Excel?

Strikethrough in Excel is a formatting option that allows you to apply a line through the middle of the text in a cell. This is often used to indicate that the text is no longer relevant or to show that it has been deleted, without actually removing it from the cell. Strikethrough can be applied to individual characters, words, or entire cells, and it is a useful feature for indicating changes or revisions in your spreadsheet. Read on to learn how to apply it in different ways.

How To Strikethrough Text In Excel?

As I said earlier, strikethrough in Excel is nothing but putting a line through a value in a cell. To do that, you can use the formatting options available in Excel or simply use a shortcut key. Let’s look at each method to understand how it works.

Strikethrough Using Cell Format Options

One way to apply strikethrough formatting is by using the Format Cells dialog box. Here’s how:

• Highlight the ‘cell’ or ‘cells’ containing the text you want to format.
• Right-click on the selected cells and choose “Format Cells” from the context menu.

• Alternatively, you can also use the shortcut Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog box and go to the “Font” tab.
• Another option is to go to the Home tab of the ribbon, and click the Font Settings button in the lower-right corner of the Font section to open the Format Cells dialog box directly to the font tab.
• In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the “Font” tab.
• Check the box next to “Strikethrough” under the Effects section.

• Click “OK” to apply the strikethrough formatting to the selected text

Strikethrough Using Keyboard Shortcut

Strikethrough text in Excel can also be achieved quickly and efficiently using keyboard shortcuts. Here’s how:

For Windows PCs:

• Select the cell(s) containing the text you want to strikethrough. You can click on a single cell, drag over a range of cells, or use keyboard shortcuts like arrow keys or Ctrl + Shift + Up/Down arrows for selecting entire rows or columns.
• Press Ctrl + 5 on your keyboard.

For Mac computers:

• Select the cell(s) with the text you want to format.
• Press Command + Shift + X simultaneously.

Note: If you want to strikethrough only a part of the text in a cell, follow these steps:

• Double left-click the cell.
• Select the word or words you want to strikethrough.
• Use the keyboard shortcut keys mentioned above or use the Format Cells dialog box as explained earlier to strikethrough.

How To Strikethrough Text In Excel (Online)?

To apply strikethrough formatting to text in Excel online, follow these steps:

• Select the cell or cells containing the text you want to format.
• Look for the strikethrough button in the Font group on the Home tab. Click on it to apply the formatting.

• Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + 5 to quickly apply strikethrough formatting.

How To Strikethrough Text With VBA Macro?

Using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) in Excel, you can apply strikethrough formatting to text programmatically. Here’s how you can do it:

• Press Alt + F11 to open the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor.
• Right-click on any existing module in the Project Explorer window and select Insert -> Module to insert a new module.

• Paste the following VBA code into the module:

Sub ApplyStrikethrough() Selection.Font.Strikethrough = True End Sub

• Close the VBA editor and return to your Excel worksheet. Select the cell or cells containing the text you want to strikethrough.
• Press Alt + F8 to open the “Run Macro” dialog box. Select the ApplyStrikethrough macro from the list and click Run.

How To Strikethrough Text Automatically?

When you’re creating a checklist or to-do list in Excel, you might want to use strikethrough to mark completed items. To make this easier, you can set up Excel to automatically apply strikethrough formatting as you enter text in a connected cell. Here’s how:

• Select the cells you want to format.
• Go to the Home tab and click on Conditional Formatting in the Styles group, then select New Rule…

• In the New Formatting Rule dialog box, choose “Use a formula to determine which cells to format.”
• Enter a formula in the “Format values where this formula is true” box. For example, if the related cell for each task is in column C, use a formula like =B2=”Done”.

• Click on Format… and switch to the Font tab in the Format Cells dialog box. Check the Strikethrough checkbox.

• Click OK twice to apply the formatting.

Alternatively, instead of using text for task status, you can use checkboxes linked to cells. Excel will automatically mark tasks as completed based on the checkbox state.

How To Add Strikethrough Button in Excel Desktop?

In Excel, besides the methods mentioned earlier for applying strikethrough, you can add a Strikethrough button to your Excel Ribbon or Quick Access Toolbar. This button lets you apply strikethrough formatting with a simple click. Let’s take a look at how you can add it.

To Quick Access Toolbar

• Click the small arrow in the upper left corner of the Excel window, and then click “More Commands…“

• Under “Choose commands from,” select “Commands Not in the Ribbon.”
• Select “Strikethrough” in the list of commands, and click the “Add” button. This will add Strikethrough to the list of commands on the right pane.

• Click “OK.”

Now, you will find the new Strikethrough button in the upper left corner of your worksheet, on the Quick Access Toolbar.

To Ribbon

• Right-click anywhere on the ribbon and select “Customize the Ribbon…” from the pop-up menu.

• In the Excel Options dialog box, select the target tab where you want to add the Strikethrough button (e.g., Home), and then click the “New Group” button.

• Click “Rename…” to name the newly created group to your liking, such as “Formats.”
• With the new group selected, under “Choose commands from,” select “Commands Not in the Ribbon.”
• Find “Strikethrough” in the list of commands, select it, and click “Add.”
• Click “OK” to save the changes.
• Find the Strikethrough button on your Excel ribbon in the designated tab.

You can now cross out text in Excel with a single click of the Strikethrough button on the Excel Ribbon.

How To Remove Strikethrough In Excel?

To remove strikethrough formatting in Excel, follow these steps:

Keyboard Shortcut:

• Windows: Select the cells you want to remove the strikethrough format from and use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + 5.
• Mac: Select the cells and use the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + X.

Format Cells Dialog:

• Select the cells you want to remove the strikethrough format from.
• Open the Format Cells dialog by pressing Ctrl + 1.
• In the Format Cells dialog, go to the Font tab.
• Uncheck the “Strikethrough” box.
• Click OK.

Remove Conditional Formatting:

• If you’ve applied strikethrough using a conditional formatting rule, you’ll need to remove that rule to remove the strikethrough effect.
• Select all the cells you want to remove in strikethrough format.
• Go to the Home tab > Styles group.
• Click on Conditional Formatting > Clear Rules > Clear Rules from Selected Cells.

FAQs:

Conclusion

Thanks for reading!  Did this guide help you learn how to strikethrough text in Excel? Let us know in the comments below!