How to Strike Through Text in Excel

What this does

Strikethrough draws a line through text while keeping the value in the cell. It is formatting, not deletion, so formulas, filters and copies still see the original value. You can apply it to a whole cell or, while editing, to only selected characters inside the cell. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. For “strike through text in excel”, the reliable version is a short checking loop, not just the first command that appears to work. Run it on a deliberately small range first, watch how the affected cells change, and only then apply the same setup to the full sheet. When this is a ribbon command, the selection matters more than the button: confirm the range, apply the command, then spot-check the output before saving. That is what makes a text operation that turns messy entries into clean, usable data useful in real work: repeatable, auditable, and not dependent on memory or luck.

A worked example

A task list has Done items in A2:A10. Select completed task names and press Ctrl+5 to strike them through. If a cell says Draft final, edit the cell, select only Draft, press Ctrl+1 and tick Strikethrough so only that word is crossed out. Strikethrough is best for visible workflow state: done tasks, superseded values, cancelled line items and review notes where the old text should remain visible. If this is something you do often, add the command to the Quick Access Toolbar (right-click it on the ribbon and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar) or learn its shortcut, so next time it is one click instead of a hunt through the menus.

In Google Sheets

This is a command rather than a formula, so there is no syntax to carry over. Google Sheets arranges its commands in menus across the top instead of a ribbon, names some of them differently and does not have every Excel command — look for the equivalent in the Sheets menus or its help before assuming the steps match. The aim was to get you unstuck fast and leave you a little more capable than a copy-paste would. The answer is at the top and the detail above shows why it holds — so the next time a colleague asks, you can answer without reaching for search. If you take one thing from this page on “strike through text in excel”, make it the order of checks rather than the individual clicks: confirm what is selected, apply the step, and look at the result before moving on. That small routine is what keeps Excel work predictable when the same task comes back in a slightly different workbook.

Common mistakes

• Assuming strikethrough removes the value from formulas or totals.
• Applying it manually to large lists instead of using conditional formatting from a Done column.
• Expecting Ctrl+5 to work the same in every browser-based spreadsheet environment.
• Using strikethrough as the only status marker, which can be hard to scan or print.

Frequently asked questions