Free Guide to Strikethrough Formatting in Excel

Understanding Strikethrough Formatting in Excel

Strikethrough is a text formatting option in Excel that places a line through the middle of text. This formatting tool appears as a single horizontal line running through your cell contents. When you apply strikethrough to text, the text itself remains visible and readable—the line simply crosses over it. This distinguishing feature makes strikethrough different from deleting or hiding text, since the original content stays on your screen.

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Strikethrough formatting serves practical purposes in spreadsheets. Many users apply it to mark items as completed, discontinued, or no longer valid without actually removing the data. For example, in a project management spreadsheet, you might use strikethrough to show that a task is finished. In inventory tracking, strikethrough can indicate products that are out of stock or discontinued. In budget planning, strikethrough helps mark expenses that were originally planned but later removed from consideration.

The strikethrough feature has been part of Excel for many versions and works consistently across Windows and Mac platforms. Excel allows you to apply strikethrough to individual cells, multiple cells at once, or even to specific text within a single cell. The formatting doesn't change the underlying data or formulas—it's purely visual. This means your calculations and data references continue working normally even when strikethrough formatting is applied.

Understanding when and how to use strikethrough can improve spreadsheet organization and communication. Rather than creating confusion with deletions or unclear notes, strikethrough provides a clear visual indicator of status changes. This becomes especially useful when multiple people work on the same spreadsheet, as it creates a transparent record of what information has been modified or deactivated.

Takeaway: Strikethrough is a visual formatting tool that crosses a line through text while keeping it readable, useful for marking completed items, discontinued entries, or removed data without erasing the original content.

How to Apply Strikethrough Formatting Using the Format Menu

The Format menu method represents the traditional way to add strikethrough formatting in Excel. This approach works on both Windows and Mac versions and requires just a few clicks. First, select the cell or cells containing the text you want to format with strikethrough. You can select a single cell by clicking it once, or select multiple cells by clicking the first cell and then holding Shift while clicking the last cell in your range. You can also click and drag across multiple cells to select them all at once.

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Once your cells are selected, navigate to the Home tab on the ribbon menu at the top of your screen. Look for a button labeled "Format" in the Cells group—this typically appears near the right side of the ribbon. Click on Format and a dropdown menu will show. From this menu, select "Format Cells" (it's usually near the bottom of the list). This opens the Format Cells dialog box.

In the Format Cells dialog, click on the "Font" tab if it isn't already selected. This tab contains text formatting options. Look for a checkbox labeled "Strikethrough" in the Effects section. Simply click this checkbox to enable strikethrough formatting. You'll typically see a preview of your text with the strikethrough line in the preview area of the dialog. Once you've checked the strikethrough box, click the "OK" button to apply the formatting to your selected cells.

This menu-based approach gives you the advantage of seeing all your formatting options in one place. While in the Font tab, you can combine strikethrough with other formatting like bold, italic, color changes, or font size adjustments. This is particularly useful when you want to make multiple formatting changes at once. After clicking OK, the strikethrough formatting appears immediately in your spreadsheet.

Takeaway: Use Home tab → Format → Format Cells → Font tab → check "Strikethrough" → click OK to apply strikethrough to selected cells through the menu system.

Using the Keyboard Shortcut for Faster Strikethrough Application

Excel offers a keyboard shortcut that bypasses the menu system entirely, making strikethrough formatting much faster for frequent users. On Windows computers, the shortcut is Alt + H, then 4. On Mac computers, the shortcut is Command + Shift + X. These keyboard combinations work in most Excel versions and can save considerable time when you need to apply strikethrough formatting repeatedly throughout your spreadsheet.

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To use the Windows shortcut, first select the cell or cells you want to format. Then press and hold the Alt key and type H (for the Home tab), then release and type 4. The number 4 corresponds to the strikethrough option in Excel's keyboard navigation system. You'll notice the strikethrough formatting applies immediately without any dialog boxes appearing. This direct approach is particularly efficient when working through large datasets where multiple items need strikethrough formatting.

The Mac shortcut works similarly but uses the Command key instead. Select your cells, then press Command + Shift + X together. The formatting applies instantly. Mac users often find this shortcut easier to remember since it uses the more familiar Command key combination pattern. Like the Windows version, no dialog boxes appear—the strikethrough simply applies to your selection right away.

Learning these keyboard shortcuts significantly speeds up workflow, especially in data-heavy projects. Rather than navigating menus each time you need strikethrough, your fingers can simply execute the key combination while your eyes stay focused on your spreadsheet. This becomes particularly valuable when managing lists where you're marking multiple items as completed or removed. The time savings compounds across a work session involving dozens or hundreds of strikethrough applications.

Takeaway: Use Alt + H, then 4 on Windows or Command + Shift + X on Mac to quickly apply strikethrough formatting without opening menus.

Applying Strikethrough to Partial Cell Text

Sometimes you need to apply strikethrough to only part of the text within a single cell, rather than the entire cell contents. Excel supports this level of precision formatting, though it requires a different approach than formatting entire cells. To format partial text, you must enter edit mode for that specific cell. Double-click the cell you want to edit, or click the cell once and then press F2. The cell will now show a blinking cursor and enter edit mode.

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While in edit mode, select only the text portion you want to format with strikethrough. Click and drag across the specific words or characters to highlight them. You can also use keyboard shortcuts to select text—hold Shift and press arrow keys to select character by character, or hold Shift and press Ctrl (Command on Mac) with arrow keys to select word by word. Once you've selected just the text you want to format, apply strikethrough using the keyboard shortcut (Alt + H, then 4 on Windows, or Command + Shift + X on Mac).

This partial text formatting works well for situations like marking specific portions of longer entries. For example, in a product description, you might strikethrough an old price while keeping the new price normal. In a notes column, you might strikethrough outdated information while leaving current details unchanged. After applying strikethrough to your selected text, press Enter to exit edit mode and confirm the formatting.

Another option for partial text formatting involves using the Format Cells dialog. While in edit mode with your text selected, press Ctrl + 1 (or Command + 1 on Mac) to open the Format Cells dialog directly. Navigate to the Font tab and check the Strikethrough option, then click OK. This method provides the same result as the keyboard shortcut but may feel more intuitive for users who prefer working through dialogs.

Takeaway: Double-click a cell to enter edit mode, select only the text you want to format, then apply strikethrough using your keyboard shortcut or the Format Cells dialog to format partial cell contents.

Removing Strikethrough Formatting When No Longer Needed

Removing strikethrough formatting is just as straightforward as applying it. Whether you need to correct a formatting mistake or update your spreadsheet as situations change, Excel provides several methods to remove the strikethrough line. The most direct approach involves selecting the cells containing strikethrough formatting and simply applying the strikethrough command again. Since strikethrough acts as a toggle, applying the command a second time deactivates the formatting.

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Select the cells with strikethrough formatting you want to remove. This works whether you're removing strikethrough from one cell or many cells at once. Then use your preferred method to remove it: press the keyboard shortcut (Alt + H, then 4 on Windows, or Command +