How to Strikethrough in Excel – Quick & Easy Guide

If you have ever stared at an Excel sheet wondering, “How do I cross this out without deleting it like a chaotic raccoon?” you are in exactly the right place. Strikethrough in Excel is one of those tiny formatting tricks that looks simple, feels useful, and somehow hides just well enough to make people think Microsoft is playing hide-and-seek.

The good news? It is easy. Whether you want to mark tasks as done, show old prices, flag canceled items, or make your spreadsheet look like you know what you are doing before your coffee kicks in, this guide will walk you through it. In this quick and easy tutorial, you will learn how to strikethrough in Excel using keyboard shortcuts, menu options, partial text formatting, Quick Access Toolbar tricks, and even conditional formatting for automatic results.

If your goal is speed, clarity, and fewer dramatic sighs while working in spreadsheets, keep reading.

What Does Strikethrough in Excel Do?

Strikethrough formatting places a horizontal line through text or numbers inside a cell. It does not delete the data. It simply changes how the content looks. That makes it perfect for showing something is completed, outdated, replaced, canceled, or no longer active.

Think of it as Excel’s polite version of saying, “This still exists, but we are not really using it anymore.”

People often use Excel strikethrough for:

• To-do lists and task trackers
• Inventory sheets with discontinued items
• Budgets showing removed expenses
• Editorial spreadsheets with rejected ideas
• Project plans where certain actions are complete

The Fastest Way: Excel Strikethrough Shortcut

If you want the quickest method, the Excel strikethrough shortcut is your best friend.

Windows Shortcut

Select the cell or range of cells, then press Ctrl + 5.

Mac Shortcut

In many common Excel for Mac setups, you can use Command + Shift + X. Some recent Mac versions may also respond to the Windows-style shortcut behavior, but Command + Shift + X is the safer one to remember for Mac users.

This shortcut works as a toggle. That means pressing it once applies strikethrough, and pressing it again removes it. Excel loves efficiency almost as much as it loves making column widths mysteriously wrong.

Example

Let’s say cell A2 says Call vendor. Select A2 and press Ctrl + 5. Boom. Crossed out. Mission accomplished.

How to Strikethrough in Excel Using the Format Cells Menu

If keyboard shortcuts are not your thing, or you simply enjoy clicking through menus like a spreadsheet tourist, use the Format Cells dialog box.

Method 1: Ribbon and Font Settings

1. Select the cell or cells you want to format.
2. Go to the Home tab.
3. In the Font group, click the small launcher arrow in the bottom-right corner.
4. In the Format Cells window, open the Font tab.
5. Check the box for Strikethrough.
6. Click OK.

Method 2: Format Cells Shortcut

You can also open the same dialog quickly by selecting your cells and pressing Ctrl + 1. Then go to the Font tab, check Strikethrough, and click OK.

This method is helpful when you are already changing other formatting, such as font style, size, borders, or color. One stop, many spreadsheet beauty treatments.

How to Strikethrough in Excel for the Web

If you are using Excel in your browser, you are not locked out of the fun. Excel for the web includes a built-in strikethrough option.

1. Select the cells you want to format.
2. Go to the Home tab.
3. Choose Strikethrough in the Font group.

That is it. No workaround, no secret handshake, no spreadsheet wizardry required.

How to Apply Partial Strikethrough in One Excel Cell

Sometimes you do not want to strikethrough the entire cell. Maybe the cell says Old plan / New plan and you only want to cross out the first part. Yes, Excel can do that too.

Steps for Partial Strikethrough

1. Double-click the cell to enter edit mode.
2. Select only the text you want to cross out.
3. Press Ctrl + 5 on Windows or Command + Shift + X on Mac, or use the Format Cells menu.

This is especially useful for notes, status labels, revision tracking, and side-by-side comparisons inside one cell.

Example: In a cell that says Draft approved pending review, you could strikethrough only pending review after the final sign-off happens. It is tidy, clear, and far more elegant than typing “ignore this part lol.”

How to Remove Strikethrough in Excel

Removing strikethrough is easy because the same methods work in reverse.

• Use Ctrl + 5 again to toggle it off
• Open Format Cells and uncheck Strikethrough
• Use the Strikethrough button again in Excel for the web

If formatting starts behaving oddly, make sure the strikethrough was not applied through conditional formatting. That kind of formatting plays by its own rules and occasionally acts like the boss of the worksheet.

How to Add a Strikethrough Button for One-Click Access

If you use strikethrough often, adding it to the Quick Access Toolbar is a smart move. This gives you a visible button you can click anytime.

Steps to Add Strikethrough to the Quick Access Toolbar

1. Click the small dropdown arrow on the Quick Access Toolbar.
2. Select More Commands.
3. In the list of commands, choose All Commands or Commands Not in the Ribbon.
4. Find Strikethrough.
5. Click Add.
6. Click OK.

Now you will have a clickable strikethrough button ready whenever you need it. Your future self will thank you, probably with fewer annoyed keyboard-smashing moments.

How to Use Conditional Formatting for Automatic Strikethrough

This is where Excel gets fancy. If you want cells to cross out automatically when a condition is met, use conditional formatting.

This is perfect for task lists. For example, when column B contains Y or a checkbox result is TRUE, Excel can automatically strikethrough the related task in column A.

Example: Strike Through Completed Tasks

1. Select the task cells, such as A2:A20.
2. Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule.
3. Select Use a formula to determine which cells to format.
4. Enter a formula like =B2=”Y” or =B2=TRUE.
5. Click Format.
6. On the Font tab, check Strikethrough.
7. Click OK.

Now when the status changes, the formatting updates automatically. That is the kind of tiny spreadsheet magic that makes people feel wildly organized for at least twelve minutes.

Can You Use Checkboxes with Strikethrough in Excel?

Yes. If your worksheet uses checkboxes and the checkbox cell returns TRUE or FALSE, you can pair that with conditional formatting to strike through completed items automatically.

This works well in:

• To-do lists
• Shopping lists
• Project trackers
• Habit trackers
• Simple workflow sheets

It is clean, visual, and satisfying in a way that only checkbox lovers truly understand.

How to Find Cells with Strikethrough in Excel

Working in a giant worksheet? You may need to find all cells already using strikethrough formatting.

Steps to Search for Strikethrough Cells

1. Go to Home > Find & Select > Find.
2. Click Options.
3. Choose Format.
4. Open the Font tab.
5. Check Strikethrough.
6. Click OK, then Find All.

This is helpful when reviewing older workbooks, cleaning up formatting, or figuring out why half the sheet looks like it gave up on life.

Common Problems When Strikethrough Does Not Work

1. The Shortcut Does Nothing

Make sure the cell is selected first. Also check whether your keyboard uses function layers, accessibility remaps, or app-level shortcut conflicts.

2. Only Part of the Text Changes

You may have entered edit mode and selected only a word or phrase instead of the whole cell.

3. Strikethrough Keeps Coming Back

That usually means a conditional formatting rule is applying it automatically.

4. It Works on Desktop but Not in Another Version

Excel desktop, Excel for Mac, and Excel for the web can place the feature in slightly different spots. If one method feels uncooperative, use the Format Cells route.

Best Uses for Strikethrough in Excel

Strikethrough in Excel is simple, but it is not silly. It improves clarity without deleting useful data. Here are some of the best ways to use it:

• Task management: Mark completed tasks without removing them
• Budgeting: Show canceled or revised expenses
• Inventory: Flag discontinued products
• Planning: Track what ideas were dropped
• Editing: Keep old labels visible during revisions

In short, strikethrough is perfect when you want to preserve history while making the current status obvious.

Real-World Experiences Using Strikethrough in Excel

In real spreadsheet life, strikethrough tends to become one of those features people ignore for years and then suddenly use everywhere. It starts small. Maybe you cross out one finished task in a project list. Then you use it in a budget sheet to show an expense you decided not to make. A week later, you are strikethrough-happy and your workbook looks like it has entered a very organized breakup phase.

One of the most common experiences with Excel strikethrough is in personal to-do tracking. Instead of deleting finished tasks, people keep them visible for context. That tiny line through the text does something psychologically satisfying. It says, “Yes, this was on the list, and yes, I conquered it.” For many users, that visual feedback is more motivating than simply erasing the row.

In office settings, strikethrough is often used to preserve an audit trail without making the sheet messy. Team members might cross out outdated prices, old deadlines, retired product names, or canceled meeting items while leaving the original content visible. That matters because deleting information can create confusion. A crossed-out entry tells the story more clearly: this used to be relevant, but now it is not.

Writers, editors, and content planners also love it. In editorial calendars, strikethrough can mark rejected headlines, removed article angles, or postponed campaigns. It is cleaner than writing “canceled” in every cell and less destructive than wiping out the original idea. Sometimes you need to remember what was cut so you do not accidentally pitch it again next week like a goldfish with a keyboard.

Another practical experience shows up in shopping lists and inventory trackers. When a checkbox or status marker automatically applies strikethrough, the sheet becomes easier to scan. Your eyes immediately separate active items from completed ones. That small formatting change can make a workbook feel dramatically more usable, especially when the sheet is long and chaotic.

Most users who learn the shortcut end up preferring it over menus. Once Ctrl + 5 becomes muscle memory, it is hard to go back. It feels quick, tidy, and weirdly powerful. It is one of those rare Excel tricks that is easy to learn, easy to remember, and genuinely useful in everyday work. Not every spreadsheet tip earns that kind of promotion.

Conclusion

Learning how to strikethrough in Excel is one of those small skills that pays off fast. The keyboard shortcut is perfect when you want speed, the Format Cells menu is reliable when you want control, and conditional formatting is ideal when you want automation. Add partial strikethrough and Quick Access Toolbar shortcuts, and suddenly you have several smart ways to keep your spreadsheet clear and professional.

So the next time you need to cross something out in Excel, do not delete it in a panic. Give it a clean, confident line through the middle and move on like the spreadsheet wizard you are becoming.

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