How to Cross Out Text in Excel: Strikethrough Shortcut and Methods

Need to cross out text in Excel? Whether you're tracking completed tasks, marking outdated entries, or showing items that are no longer needed, strikethrough formatting is one of the most useful visual tools in your Excel toolkit. The good news is that Excel gives you several ways to apply it, from a quick keyboard shortcut to conditional formatting that updates automatically.

In this guide, you'll learn every method for applying strikethrough in Excel — across Windows, Mac, and the web version. We'll cover keyboard shortcuts, ribbon options, the Format Cells dialog, conditional formatting tied to checkboxes, and how to remove strikethrough when you no longer need it. By the end, you'll know which approach fits each situation.

Strikethrough isn't just decoration. Used well, it communicates status at a glance — a single horizontal line through a cell value tells your reader "this is done" or "this is cancelled" without needing a separate column. Combined with conditional formatting, it becomes a dynamic indicator that shifts as your data changes. Let's break down every technique.

This article assumes you're working with Excel 2016 or later (including Microsoft 365), but the shortcuts and dialog methods covered here have worked the same way for decades. If you're on a much older version, you may need to adjust some menu paths, but the core keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + 5) has been stable since Excel 97. The conditional formatting techniques rely on features available in Excel 2010 and later, so almost any modern installation will support them.

What Strikethrough Actually Is in Excel

Before diving into the methods, it helps to understand what strikethrough actually is. In Excel, strikethrough is a font effect — the same kind of property as bold or italic. It draws a horizontal line through the middle of the text, and it lives inside the cell's font formatting. That matters because anything that changes font formatting (clearing formats, copy-pasting values, applying a different cell style) can wipe strikethrough out. Knowing this helps you predict when it will stick and when it won't.

You can apply strikethrough to an entire cell, a range of cells, or just a portion of text inside a single cell. The last option is the trickiest and the one most people don't know about — yes, you can strike out just one word in a longer sentence without affecting the rest. We'll walk through that below.

It's also worth noting that strikethrough in Excel behaves differently from strikethrough in Word. In Word, you can apply strikethrough using a button on the Home tab. In Excel, that button doesn't exist by default on the ribbon, which is why so many users assume the feature isn't there. It is — it's just hidden behind a shortcut or a dialog. That historical UI choice is why this article exists; once you know where to look, the feature becomes second nature.

Method 1: The Keyboard Shortcut (Fastest)

The keyboard shortcut is the quickest way to cross out text in Excel, and once it's in your muscle memory, you'll use it constantly. Here's the step-by-step for both platforms.

On Windows

Click the cell you want to format. If you want multiple cells, click and drag, or hold Ctrl and click each one individually. Then press Ctrl + 5. The strikethrough applies immediately. Press the same combination again to remove it.

On Mac

Select your cell or range. Press Command + Shift + X. Same toggle behavior — press once to apply, again to remove. Some older versions of Excel for Mac use Command + Shift + X while newer Microsoft 365 builds also accept this combo.

On Excel for the Web

The web version of Excel supports the same Ctrl + 5 shortcut on Windows machines and Command + Shift + X on Macs. There's no separate web-only shortcut to memorize. Even when other methods are covered, default to Ctrl+5 for everyday work. It's faster than reaching for the mouse, and it works inside the formula bar too if you've selected a portion of cell content.

If you're using Excel inside a remote desktop session or a virtual machine, the Ctrl + 5 shortcut sometimes gets intercepted by the host operating system. In that case, fall back to the Format Cells dialog method. Some users with international keyboard layouts (German, French AZERTY) also report that Ctrl + 5 conflicts with other key combinations — if that's you, customize the shortcut through Excel options or simply add the strikethrough button to your Quick Access Toolbar for one-click access.

Method 2: The Format Cells Dialog

If you forget the keyboard shortcut or prefer working through menus, the Format Cells dialog gives you full control over strikethrough and other font effects.

Select the cell or range. Right-click and choose Format Cells, or press Ctrl + 1. Click the Font tab. You'll see a section labeled Effects with a checkbox for Strikethrough. Tick it and click OK.

This method takes more clicks than the keyboard shortcut, but it lets you see exactly what effects are active, change font color and size at the same time, and preview the result before committing.

Method 3: Adding Strikethrough to the Ribbon or QAT

Excel doesn't put strikethrough on the main ribbon by default — only bold, italic, and underline get that honor. But you can add it yourself.

Right-click anywhere on the ribbon and choose Customize the Ribbon. In the dialog, find the dropdown under Choose commands from and select All Commands. Scroll to Strikethrough. On the right side, pick a tab and group, then click Add. Click OK.

Alternatively, add it to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). Same process — right-click the QAT, choose Customize Quick Access Toolbar, find strikethrough in All Commands, and add it. The QAT button is always visible regardless of which ribbon tab you're on.

A note on customization: if you share spreadsheets with colleagues, the ribbon and QAT changes you make are stored in your personal Excel profile, not in the file itself. So your colleagues won't see the strikethrough button unless they also customize their own ribbon. The keyboard shortcut, however, works for everyone without setup — which is another reason it's the recommended method for cross-team consistency.

How to Cross Out Just Part of the Text in a Cell

Here's a trick most Excel users miss: you don't have to apply strikethrough to the entire cell. You can strike through a single word, a phrase, or even a single character within a cell. This is incredibly useful when a cell contains a list of items and only one needs to be marked as done.

Double-click the cell to enter edit mode, or click the cell and click inside the formula bar. Use your mouse or arrow keys to select only the portion of text you want to strike out. With that text highlighted, press Ctrl + 5. Only the selected text gets the line through it. Press Enter to confirm.

One caveat: this partial formatting only works on cells that contain plain text values. If the cell holds a formula, you can't strike through part of the formula result. Cells with numbers behave the same way; you can't partially strike out a number, only the whole value.

Automatic Strikethrough with Conditional Formatting

This is where strikethrough becomes really powerful. Imagine a to-do list where ticking a checkbox automatically crosses out the task. Or a project tracker where completed items dim themselves visually. That's conditional formatting with strikethrough, and it's easier than you might think.

First, set up your data. Say you have a list of tasks in column A and you want a checkbox or TRUE/FALSE indicator in column B. You can use real checkboxes (Insert then Checkbox in newer Excel versions) or just type TRUE/FALSE manually.

Select the cells in column A. Go to Home then Conditional Formatting then New Rule. Choose Use a formula to determine which cells to format. Enter a formula like =$B2=TRUE (adjust to match your column letters and starting row). Click Format. In the Font tab, check Strikethrough. Click OK twice. Now when you tick the checkbox in column B, the corresponding task in column A automatically crosses out.

Conditional formatting rules are stored inside the workbook, not the user profile. That means anyone who opens your spreadsheet will see the automatic strikethrough behavior, even if they've never set up the rule themselves. This makes conditional formatting strikethrough the perfect choice for shared task lists, team trackers, and any document where you want the visual feedback to follow the data instead of the user.

How to Remove Strikethrough in Excel

Removing strikethrough is just as easy as applying it. Since it's a toggle, you use the same methods in reverse.

Keyboard shortcut: Select the strikethrough cell and press Ctrl + 5 (or Command + Shift + X on Mac). The line disappears.

Format Cells dialog: Select the cell, press Ctrl + 1, go to the Font tab, and uncheck Strikethrough. Click OK.

Clear all formatting: If you also want to remove other formatting like bold or color in the same step, go to Home then Clear then Clear Formats. Note that this wipes everything, not just strikethrough.

If strikethrough was applied via conditional formatting, the methods above won't remove it permanently — the rule will just reapply it. Instead, go to Home then Conditional Formatting then Manage Rules, find the rule, and either edit or delete it.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Strikethrough Won't Apply

If pressing Ctrl + 5 does nothing, check whether the cell is locked and the worksheet is protected. Go to Review then Unprotect Sheet (you may need a password if one was set). Try the shortcut again after unprotecting.

Another cause: keyboard layout. On some non-US layouts, the 5 key requires a Shift press to access. In that case, you might need to use Ctrl + Shift + 5, or rebind the shortcut.

Strikethrough Keeps Coming Back

If you can't remove strikethrough no matter what you do, the formatting is coming from a conditional formatting rule. Go to Home then Conditional Formatting then Manage Rules, switch the Show formatting rules for dropdown to This Worksheet, and look for any rule that applies strikethrough.

Strikethrough Disappeared After Paste

Pasting values-only or pasting from a non-Excel source can strip strikethrough. Use Paste Special then Formats after a values-only paste to reapply the original cell formatting, or simply reapply Ctrl + 5 on the affected cells.

Strikethrough Doesn't Print

Strikethrough should print by default on any modern printer. If it's missing in the printed output, check your print preview first. If it shows in preview but not on paper, the issue is with the printer driver or print quality settings.

One additional edge case: if your workbook was originally created in an older format (.xls) and you've converted it to .xlsx, some legacy cell formatting rules can override modern strikethrough behavior. Save a fresh copy as .xlsx, close and reopen, and try again. This resolves about 90% of mysterious formatting issues in converted files. If problems persist, copy the cell content to a clean workbook and re-apply the formatting there.

Pro Tips for Power Users

Combine Strikethrough with Gray Text

For an even cleaner completed look, pair strikethrough with a gray font color. In the Format Cells dialog, check Strikethrough and change the font color to a medium gray (around #808080). This is the standard convention in apps like Todoist and Microsoft To Do.

Use Format Painter to Copy Strikethrough

Once you've formatted one cell with strikethrough (and any other styling), use the Format Painter to apply the same formatting to other cells. Single-click the painter to apply once, or double-click to keep it active and apply to multiple cells in a row.

Build a Reusable Cell Style

If you use strikethrough plus gray text often, save it as a custom cell style. Format a cell the way you want, select it, then go to Home then Cell Styles then New Cell Style. Name it something like Completed and click OK.

Use Strikethrough in VBA

If you write Excel macros, you can toggle strikethrough programmatically with Range("A1").Font.Strikethrough = True. This is useful in automated reports where status changes based on data.

Apply Strikethrough Based on Date

One advanced conditional formatting trick: strike out tasks whose deadlines have passed. Use a formula like =B2<TODAY() in your rule, where B2 is the deadline column. The rule strikes through the row when today's date is past the deadline — perfect for visualizing overdue items.

Wrapping Up

Crossing out text in Excel is one of those small skills that pays off every day. The keyboard shortcut alone — Ctrl + 5 on Windows, Command + Shift + X on Mac — will save you hours over the course of a year if you work with spreadsheets regularly. Beyond the basics, methods like conditional formatting unlock dynamic to-do lists and status trackers that update themselves as your data changes.

The key takeaway: strikethrough is a font effect, just like bold or italic, but it carries strong semantic meaning. Use it deliberately and your spreadsheets become easier to scan and understand. Combine it with gray font color, save the combination as a Cell Style, and you've got a professional-looking completion marker.

If you're preparing for Excel certifications or job assessments, mastering strikethrough is part of a broader fluency with formatting tools. Hiring tests often check that candidates know multiple ways to apply common effects. Practice using strikethrough alongside other formatting techniques and you'll be ready for whatever Excel task comes your way.