How to Strikethrough in Excel: Everything You Need to Know
Need to cross out a value in an Excel cell. What better way to do that than to strikethrough the text? However, Microsoft isn’t exactly straightforward about the strikethrough function. You’d expect to find the button amongst others in the Excel ribbon, but it’s not.
So, where can you find the strikethrough button, and how do you apply it on a cell? You’d be surprised to find out how easy it actually is with this article’s guide. Watch the video and read on below to find out.
Applying Strikethrough in Excel
What I like about the strikethrough function in Excel is that you can apply it to all texts in a cell or partially, which is very handy for dynamism. Also, you can add strikethrough from the format cells dialog box or via a keyboard shortcut.
You can use either of the easy methods below, depending on how convenient you find them.
Method 1: Keyboard Shortcut
The keyboard shortcut is your best bet to strikethrough in an Excel spreadsheet. And the good thing is that it’s Applicable on both Windows and macOS.
For windows, click or highlight a cell and press Ctrl + 5 on your keyboard.
On macOS, click or highlight a cell and press Command + Shift + X on your keyboard.
The shortcut will strikethrough the selected cells at this point.
Method 2: Format Cells Dialog Box
This method is ideal if you cannot use the shortcut or are working in the dark with a non-backlit keyboard. To use it,
- Click or highlight the cell on which you want to apply a strikethrough
- Select the Home tab at the top of the window
- In the lower-right corner of the Font section, click the opposite-facing diagonal arrows icon
- You should see the Font dialog box at this point. Click the Font tab and check-mark the Strikethrough option at the bottom-left corner of the box.
- Navigate to and click OK to save all changes
That should apply the strikethrough, but it is even cooler that you can apply it to not just texts but currencies, numbers, dates, and just about anything else in a cell.
But do you know what’s even more impressive? You can partially apply a strikethrough in a cell, as hinted earlier. And below are a few simples steps on how to do just that:
How to Apply a Partial Strikethrough
- Double left-click the target cell and drag the cursor to highlight the texts you want to strikethrough
- Apply the keyboard shortcuts provided earlier on your MacBook or Windows
- Alternatively, use the format cell dialog box to strikethrough only the highlighted values
How to Remove a Strikethrough
If you want to remove the strikethrough you’ve applied, you’d also be glad to know there’s an option for that. To do this,
- Select or highlight the target cell or texts
- Press Ctrl + 5 on Windows or Command + Shift + X on Mac
- Alternatively, follow the format cell dialog box steps again and uncheck the strikethrough option
Final Notes
That’s it! Now that you know how to strikethrough in Excel, you can use it for whatever purpose, be it to monitor projects or keep track of certain information in a cell. The shots are yours to call now that you know.
