How to Apply Strikethrough in Excel Using Shortcuts & Formatting
Need to cross out a value in an Excel cell? One of the best ways to do that is to apply strikethrough in Excel. However, Microsoft isn’t exactly straightforward about the strikethrough function in its desktop app. In desktop Excel for Windows and Mac, there is no dedicated strikethrough button in the ribbon — you’ll need to use a keyboard shortcut or the Format Cells dialog instead. If you’re using Excel for the web in your browser, though, you’re in luck: a Strikethrough button is right there on the Home tab.
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. It’s a great formatting tool for tracking completed tasks, crossed-out items, or outdated values without deleting them entirely.
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 to Strikethrough in Excel
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. This is by far the fastest method, especially if you’re formatting multiple cells in quick succession.
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. According to Microsoft’s official support documentation, the Format Cells dialog gives you the most control over text formatting options. There are faster ways to open this dialog than navigating through the ribbon. On Windows, press Ctrl + 1; on Mac, press Command + 1. You can also right-click any selected cell and choose Format Cells from the context menu. Alternatively, to use the ribbon path:
- 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
These same methods work for multiple selected cells at once — just select your range before opening the dialog. To remove strikethrough, follow the same steps and untick the Strikethrough box.
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 simple steps on how to do just that:
Strikethrough in Excel for the Web
Unlike desktop Excel, Excel for the web gives you a dedicated Strikethrough button directly on the Home tab — no shortcuts or dialog boxes required. Here’s how to use it:
- Select the cell or cells you want to format
- Go to the Home tab at the top of the page
- In the Font group, click the Strikethrough button (it looks like an S with a horizontal line through it)
- To remove the formatting, select the cell(s) again and click the Strikethrough button a second time to toggle it off
That’s all there is to it. Because the button is visible in the ribbon, Excel for the web is actually the most beginner-friendly environment for applying strikethrough formatting.
How to Apply a Partial Strikethrough in Excel
- 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
This partial strikethrough approach is particularly useful when a cell contains a mix of information and you only need to mark part of it as outdated or completed.
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. Removing strikethrough in Excel is just as simple as applying it. 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
The same keyboard shortcut acts as a toggle — pressing it once applies the formatting, and pressing it again removes it. This makes it very efficient to switch the formatting on and off as needed.
Why Excel Is Striking Through Cells Automatically
If you open a workbook and suddenly find that many cells are displaying strikethrough formatting — even though you never manually applied it and the Font > Strikethrough setting appears to be off — you’re likely dealing with a completely separate feature called Stale Value Formatting. This is not the same as manually applied font strikethrough, and it can catch a lot of users off guard.
When a workbook is set to Manual or Partial calculation mode, Excel stops recalculating formulas automatically whenever data changes. To signal that the displayed results may be out of date, newer versions of Excel can visually mark those formula cells with a strikethrough. This is Excel’s way of telling you: “These numbers haven’t been recalculated yet — treat them with caution.”
Here’s how to fix it:
- Recalculate immediately: Press F9 to force Excel to recalculate all formulas in the workbook. The strikethrough should disappear from formula cells once the values are refreshed.
- Switch to Automatic calculation: Go to Formulas > Calculation Options and select Automatic. This tells Excel to recalculate whenever a value changes, preventing stale values from building up.
- Turn off the Stale Value formatting display (if available): Go to Formulas > Calculation Options and look for a Format Stale Values toggle. If it’s present, switch it off to stop Excel from marking stale results with strikethrough.
- Disable via Error Checking rules: If the Calculation Options toggle isn’t available in your version, go to File > Options > Formulas, scroll to the Error checking rules section, and uncheck Cells containing stale values. Click OK to save.
The key thing to remember is that stale-value strikethrough is a workbook calculation issue, not a font formatting issue. If pressing Ctrl + 1 and checking the Font tab shows that Strikethrough is unchecked, but the cells still look crossed out, the stale value feature is almost certainly the cause.
Final Notes
That’s it! Now that you know how to use strikethrough in Excel, you can apply it for whatever purpose, be it to monitor projects, mark completed to-do items, or keep track of certain information in a cell. The shots are yours to call now that you know.
