6 Practical Ways to Strikethrough Text and Data in Excel

If you’re a Microsoft Office user, whether working with Microsoft Word or Excel, you may have numerous reasons to use the strikethrough character format. When applied to a cell, a line appears through the middle of the contents, whether it’s text, numbers, or symbols.

This makes the status of the cell contents very visible. In addition, because you can sort cells by format, you can cluster all items where you’ve applied strikethrough together, perhaps moving completed items to the end of a list.

If DataOps is integral to how you do business, then Excel is likely a tool you rely on frequently. As you manage and review your company’s data, the strikethrough effect can come in handy.

This article will walk you through six practical ways to use this strikethrough feature in Excel and when it might come in handy for your business.

What is strikethrough in Excel?

Strikethrough formatting—a horizontal line drawn through your text or data—is an important and effective editing tool in any word processing document or spreadsheet. In Excel, specifically, the line essentially crosses out whatever contents you have entered in a selected cell or range of cells. Note that this is just a formatting change, so the text or values in the cells are not deleted.

This format indicates that the content of that cell is no longer valid or has passed. It’s useful when you’re keeping an eye on projects or crossing items off your to-do list.

Excel’s strikethrough uses

Excel’s strikethrough effect is a useful formatting tool for any business. If you complete tasks or if items on your list are no longer valid, have been deleted, or are removed, you can cross out text and data easily with strikethrough while still keeping the items visible.

You can use the strikethrough in your worksheet in numerous ways such as these:

• Keep current on to-do lists. If you’re working your way through a to-do list, you can track what you’ve completed by crossing off tasks as they’re done.
• Monitor projects. As you move through different phases in a project, you can track what’s been completed by applying the strikethrough effect to items that are done. This comes in handy if you’re working on a project with multiple people and are sharing an Excel worksheet. You can see which tasks others have crossed off related to their aspects of a project. This will help you keep efforts moving forward to meet deadlines.
• Track employment records. Excel is a great tool for human resources (HR) professionals tracking employee records, from salaries to hours. You can use the strikethrough effect to cross out items as needed, for instance, if an employee quits or is let go from your business.
• Monitor inventory. You can also use your worksheets to keep an eye on your company’s inventory. If an item in your inventory is made obsolete and needs to be removed or if inventory on an item gets to zero, you can use the strikethrough effect to track what you need more of.

Different ways to strikethrough in Excel

We’ve identified six primary ways you can strikethrough text in Microsoft Excel. Below, we provide step-by-step tutorials on how to apply strikethrough formatting to cells using each method, which include:

1. Strikethrough from the Home tab
2. Strikethrough with format cells dialog with right-click menu
3. Strikethrough keyboard shortcut
4. Put a strikethrough button on the Excel ribbon
5. Automatic strikethrough with conditional formatting
6. Partial strikethrough format within a cell

1. Strikethrough from the Home tab

If you’re new to Excel, one of the easiest ways to apply strikethrough formatting to any cell or range of cells is under the Home tab by opening the Format Cells dialog box.

1. After you select the cell or ranges of cells you want to add strikethrough formatting to, go to the Home tab.

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2. Then, under the Font section, click on the launch button, which you’ll find in the lower right-hand corner.

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3. This will open your Format Cells dialog box, which will pop up on the screen.

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4. Once you’re in the Format Cells dialog box, go to the Font tab.

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5. From there, you’ll go down to the section for Effects and check the option for Strikethrough.

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6. Finally, you’ll click the OK button in the bottom right-hand corner, and your text will appear with strikethrough formatting.

2. Strikethrough with format cells dialog with right-click menu

You can also use the strikethrough formatting option on your cells by bypassing the Home tab completely. One way to do this is by using your right-click menu.

1. Choose the cell (or cells) you want to apply the strikethrough effect to. Then, open your Excel menu by right-clicking anywhere within your selected cells. Doing this will open a lengthy menu with numerous actions to choose from.

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2. Toward the bottom of the list, you’ll select Format Cells.

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3. This will cause the Format Cells dialog box with a long list of options to pop up. From there, you’ll follow the same steps that you would if you started from the Home tab: Under the Font tab, at the bottom under Effects, you’ll check the Strikethrough option.

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4. Then, click the OK button and your strikethrough formatting will appear.

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3. Strikethrough keyboard shortcut

There are also several keyboard shortcuts that allow you to open your Format Cells dialog box.

One of the easiest is to highlight the cells you want to apply strikethrough formatting to and simply press Ctrl + 5. Your formatting will automatically be applied to your text. If you use strikethrough formatting a lot, you’ll love this shortcut.

Another keyboard shortcut is to press Ctrl + 1 (Command +1 on a Mac) after highlighting the cells you want to apply formatting to. This will pop open your Format Cells menu.

Then, you can proceed as you did whether starting from your Home tab or by right-clicking to open the menu. Under the Font tab, you’ll look for the Effects section. Then, you’ll select Strikethrough and click OK to apply it to your text.

4. Put a strikethrough button on the Excel ribbon

You can also add a Strikethrough action tab to customize the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) on the Excel ribbon running at the top of your spreadsheet. This means strikethrough formatting will be just a click away whenever you need it.

To add an icon to your QAT, right-click any existing icon and select Customize the Ribbon.

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When you do this, the Excel Options menu will pop up. On this menu, you’ll do the following:

1. Under the Choose Commands From drop-down menu at the top, select All Commands.
2. Then, when you’re presented with a list of commands to choose from, scroll through your options and select Strikethrough.
3. Click on the Add button in the middle of the Excel Options menu. This will move the Strikethrough command to your QAT.
4. Finally, press the OK button to apply the changes you just made.

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The Strikethrough icon will appear in your Quick Access Toolbar. If you highlight the cells you want to apply formatting to and then click this icon, that formatting will appear.

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5. Automatic strikethrough with conditional formatting

You can also apply a strikethrough effect in cells through conditional formatting. In Excel, you can use conditional formatting to change the look of cells based on specific conditions or criteria you establish. If these conditions are true, then the cell or range of cells will be formatted a certain way (in this case with strikethrough). If these conditions are false, then the cells won’t be formatted.

Excel offers many built-in prewritten conditions. You can also create your own by writing a formula that evaluates whether it is true or false that a cell is meeting the conditions you set.

Here’s how you can strikethrough cells through conditional formatting in Excel:

1. Select the cell or range of cells that you want to apply automatic conditional formatting to.

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2. Go to the Home tab in the Excel ribbon and under the Styles group, click Conditional Formatting. Then, from the drop-down menu, select New Rule.

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3. When the New Formatting Rule dialog box pops up, choose “Use a formula to determine which cells to format.”

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4. In the box that says “Format values where this formula is true,” enter the formula that establishes the condition for your topmost cell: =B3=“done”.

5. Once this is done, click Format.

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6. The Format Cells dialog box will pop up. Under the Font tab, select Strikethrough. Be sure to click Strikethrough so it’s properly checked off.

7. Then, click OK.

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8. This will bring you back to the New Formatting Rule dialog box. You’ll click OK one more time, and this will apply the formatting to your spreadsheet.

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6. Partial strikethrough format within a cell

In some cases, you might want to strikethrough only part of the text in a cell. You can do this following some of the ways demonstrated above.

For instance, you can highlight the portion of the text you want to strikethrough from the Home tab.

1. Simply highlight the portion of text you want to strikethrough and then go to the Home tab.

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2. Open the Font section by clicking on the launch button in the lower right corner. Then, click Strikethrough under Font when the Format Cells dialog box pops up.

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3. Then, click the OK button, and your partial strikethrough will appear.

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You can also use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + 5 or Ctrl + 1 (Command + 1 on a Mac) after highlighting the portion of text you’re working with to apply a strikethrough effect to it.

Create the most useful Excel worksheets possible

If your company has an interest in using data to optimize the way you do business, the advanced features of Excel can be a big help.

In this case, consider hiring an independent Microsoft Excel expert who knows the ins and outs of the program, making it a more effective tool for your company.

Upwork can help you find the specialist you need to take your company to the next level. If you’re not already extremely skilled, you might be missing faster and easier ways to use these valuable worksheets. An expert may be able to help you find better solutions for your business.