How to Strike Through Text in Excel: The Secret Shortcut You’re Not Using!

If you’re working with Excel spreadsheets and need to mark text as completed or finalized, striking through text is one of the simplest yet most powerful features at your disposal. While many users rely on the ribbon to striker text manually, there’s a quick and invisible shortcut that can drastically speed up your workflow—especially if you’re juggling large datasets or frequent updates.

In this article, we’ll explore how to strike through text in Excel using both the familiar ribbon method and the faster hidden shortcut, so you can put this productivity booster to work efficiently.

Understanding the Context

What Does “Striking Through Text” Mean in Excel?

Striking through text in Excel visually marks content as completed, outdated, or no longer valid by drawing a diagonal line through it. This helps readers easily spot finalized information without cluttering your sheet with note markers or lengthy comments.

How to Strike Through Text in Excel: The Secret Shortcut You’re Not Using!

Key Insights

The Standard Way: Striking Through Using the Ribbon

The most common way to strike through text in Excel is through the Font dialog box:

Select the cell(s) you want to edit.
Go to the Home tab on the ribbon.
Click the font drop-down in the Font group.
Click Strike through (represented by an “accented” or diagonal line icon).
Choose the style and apply.

While reliable, this method requires a few clicks—especially if you’re formatting multiple rows or columns.

The Secret Shortcut You’re Not Using

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Final Thoughts

Here’s the fastest way to strike through text without ever moving your mouse away from the cell: use a keyboard shortcut!

Keyboard Shortcut:
Ctrl + 5 (on Windows) or Cmd + X (on Mac)
(Note: This shortcut directly applies the strike-through format—no need to open the font box first!)

How It Works

Select the cell(s) containing text you want to strike through.
Press Ctrl + 5 (Windows) or Cmd + X (Mac).
- This instantly applies the strike-through text formatting.
Release the key, and your text glows with that clean diagonal line.

This method works on any text cell—no additional steps. It’s ideal for power users who want to speed up data entry, reporting, or collaborative work.

Tips for Perfect Results

Preserve Cell Contents: Striking through hides but doesn’t delete text—perfect for audits or traceable edits.
Use with Conditional Formatting: Combine with Excel’s conditional formats to auto-strike through completed rows or tasks.
Combine with Clear Formatting Shortcuts: After striking through, quickly clear formatting with Ctrl + Alt + Space → select “Clear Formatting” in the font panel.