How to Strikethrough in Excel: Shortcuts and Step-by-Step Methods

To strikethrough in Excel, select a cell or range and use the keyboard shortcut or Font settings. In the desktop app, press Ctrl+5 on Windows or Shift+Command+X on Mac. In Excel for the web, open Home > Font Settings and select Strikethrough. The line is formatting only: it does not erase the cell’s text, number, date, or formula.

Strike through a whole cell or range with a shortcut

This is the fastest method when you want every character in one or more cells crossed out.

1. Select a cell, a block of cells, or an entire row or column that you want to mark.
2. On Windows, press Ctrl+5. On Mac, press Shift+Command+X.
3. Check the selected cells. The shortcut toggles the strikethrough effect, so using it again removes the line from the selected content.

For a continuous block, drag across the cells or select the first cell, hold Shift, and select the last. To add separate cells to a selection, use Ctrl-click on Windows or Command-click on Mac. The shortcut then applies to the active selection. Make sure Excel is focused on the worksheet, rather than an open dialog or a text field, before pressing it. Microsoft lists both shortcuts in its Excel keyboard shortcut reference.

Use Format Cells when you want a visible control

If you do not want to use a shortcut, apply the effect in the Font tab of the Format Cells dialog. This works well when you need to confirm the current setting or format cells containing numbers, dates, or currency.

1. Select the cell or range.
2. Open Format Cells. Use Ctrl+1 on Windows or Command+1 on Mac. You can also choose Home, then click the small dialog box launcher at the lower-right corner of the Font group.
3. Open the Font tab. Under Effects, select Strikethrough.
4. Select OK to apply the change.

To remove the effect with the dialog, reopen it for the same selection, clear the Strikethrough checkbox, and select OK. Microsoft’s Format text in cells instructions place strikethrough under Effects in the Font dialog.

Apply strikethrough in Excel for the web

The web app has a Font Settings route for this effect. Select the cell or range, open the Home tab, and choose Font Settings in the Font group. In the Format Cells dialog, select Strikethrough, then choose OK. To undo it, reopen the same dialog, clear the checkbox, and confirm. The location is less obvious than the desktop shortcut, so this menu path is useful when you are working in a browser or the shortcut is unavailable.

Microsoft documents the current web steps in its Excel for the web strikethrough instructions.

Strikethrough only part of a cell’s text

You can format individual characters without crossing out the rest of the cell. This is useful for showing a changed phrase, an edited label, or a revised item while keeping the rest readable.

1. Double-click the cell, or select it and press F2, to edit its contents.
2. Drag across the exact word or phrase you want to mark. Confirm that the characters are highlighted inside the cell or formula bar; selecting the cell border alone targets the whole cell.
3. With only those characters selected, apply the strikethrough shortcut for your desktop version, or open the Font dialog and check Strikethrough.
4. Press Enter or Return to finish editing, then check that the line appears only over the chosen characters.

If you selected the wrong characters, re-enter edit mode and adjust the text selection before applying the effect. Excel supports formatting individual characters as well as all data in a cell, as described in Microsoft’s worksheet formatting overview.

Remove strikethrough without clearing the cell

Select the affected cell or text and press the same shortcut again: Ctrl+5 on Windows or Shift+Command+X on Mac. If you prefer the dialog, uncheck Strikethrough in Format Cells. In Excel for the web, open Home > Font Settings and clear the checkbox.

Avoid using Clear Formats if you only want to remove the line. That command removes other formatting too, such as font color, fill, borders, and number format. The strikethrough toggle or checkbox is the more targeted choice.

What to check if it does not work

• The shortcut does nothing: Confirm the worksheet has focus and a cell or text selection is active. On Mac, use Shift+Command+X, including Shift.
• The whole cell changes: You selected the cell rather than a substring. Edit the cell and highlight only the characters first.
• The line appears on a number or date: That is expected; strikethrough is a font effect and does not change the stored value or calculation.
• You want the line to appear automatically: Manual formatting stays until changed. For status-driven formatting, use Conditional Formatting and set the rule’s font effect to Strikethrough.

For a short task list or revision note, manual strikethrough is usually enough. If a cell’s value drives reports or formulas, keep the original value intact and use the visual formatting only to communicate its status.