WPS Office

Free All-in-One Office Suite with PDF Editor

correct-icon

Edit Word, Excel, and PPT for FREE.

correct-icon

Read, edit, and convert PDFs with the powerful PDF toolkit.

correct-icon

Microsoft-like interface, easy to use.

Free download

Windows • MacOS • Linux • iOS • Android

banner

How to Write Strikethrough Text in Excel

July 31, 2023
9.5K Views

Are you having trouble with your Excel to-do list, longing for a quicker way to show what's done? Strikethroughs, the visual victory lap, seem to take forever, right? Enter the world of the 'Excel Strikethrough Shortcut mac.' This handy guide will unveil how you can swiftly add and eliminate strikethroughs, making your work smoother and your lists cleaner. Here's a quick solution to make Excel more efficient..

Setting Up Excel Strikethrough Shortcut

Using Ctrl+5 Shortcut

  • You can set up excel strikethrough text by following these steps:

  • Open your Excel worksheet.

  • Select the cell(s) or text in the cell(s) you wish to strikethrough.

  • Press "Ctrl + 5" on your keyboard. This will apply the strikethrough effect to your selected cell(s) or text.

  • If you want to remove the strikethrough, reselect the strikethrough cells or text and press "Ctrl + 5" again.

Using The Format Cells Dialog Box

You can Strikethrough Shortcut word using the format cells by following these steps:

  • Open your Excel worksheet.

  • Select the cell(s) or text in the cell(s) you wish to strikethrough.

  • Press "Ctrl + 1" on your keyboard. Using this method, you will be able to open the Format Cells window.

  • Press "F" to navigate to the Font tab.

  • Press "Alt + K" to select the strikethrough effect.

  • The strikethrough effect will be applied when you press "Enter".

  • To remove the strikethrough, follow steps 1-3, then press "Alt + K" to deselect the strikethrough effect and press "Enter".

Pros

Cons

  • No ribbon command

  • Complex for beginners

  • Difficulty tracking the last tab in the dialog box.

Step-By-Step Guide To Strikethrough Text In Excel

You can Excel Strikethrough part of cell by following this step-by-step guide:

  • Start by preparing your Excel worksheet and filling it with the necessary data, For example, such as the names of columns and a corresponding status column for each.

  • Highlight the range of cells where you'd like to apply strikethrough formatting. Simply click and drag your mouse over the cells to do this.

  • Navigate to the menu bar and select 'Conditional Formatting,' then click on 'New Rule.'

  • From the list of rules, choose 'Use a formula to determine which cells to format.'

  • In the formula bar, type the following formula: =F5="completed". Here, F1 should be the cell that you are checking for the "completed" status.

  • Click on the 'Format' button, which will open a new dialog box. Under the 'Font' tab, find the 'Effects' section and check the 'Strikethrough' box.

  • Click 'OK' to close the dialog boxes and apply your conditional formatting rule.

  • To test whether your formatting rule has been applied correctly, try entering "completed" in the status column. If the name in the column gets a strikethrough, your formatting rule has been successful.

Pros

  • Enhances data readability.

  • Facilitates automation.

  • Provides clear visual cues.

Cons

  • Can't be applied to numbers/dates.

  • May cause confusion if overused.

Strikethrough Across Worksheets In Excel

  • Open your Excel document and navigate to the worksheet that contains the cell you want to strike through. This could be For example Sheet2, FlameShadow, or any other named worksheet.

  • Click on a cell in order to strike through it. Any cell on the worksheet could be used for this.

  • Now, navigate to the 'Home' tab in the ribbon at the top of Excel.

  • In the 'Font' section, you will see an icon with the letters 'abc' and a line through it. Click on this icon to strike through the text in the selected cell.

  • Now, to reference this cell in a different worksheet (such as Sheet1), navigate to that worksheet.

  • The 'Home' tab should be clicked to open the 'Conditional Formatting' option.

  • Type an equals sign (=), then type the name of the worksheet where your struck through cell is, followed by an exclamation mark (!), and then the cell reference. For example, if you are referencing cell A1 in Sheet2, you would type "=Sheet2!A1".

  • Press Enter. The struck through text from the referenced cell should now appear in the cell you selected in the second worksheet.

Pros

  • Simple to use.

  • CMaintains uniform data.

  • Highlights invalidated data.

Cons

  • Needs manual application for referenced cells.

  • Overuse can cause confusion.

Use Conditional Formatting To Apply Strikethrough In Excel

  • Open Excel, create your columns: for instance, 'Serial Number', 'Task', and 'Status'.

  • Navigate to the 'Developer' option in the top menu.

  • Click on 'Insert' in the developer tab and select the checkbox control.

  • Place the checkbox in the status column.

  • Right-click on the checkbox, select 'Edit Text', and delete any comments.

  • Move the checkbox to a central position to make the sheet presentable.

  • Drag the checkbox down the column to apply it to the remaining cells.

  • Right-click on the checkbox and select 'Format Control'.

  • In the 'Control' tab, under 'Cell link', select the cell you want to link it to. Repeat this step for each checkbox, ensuring each is linked to a separate cell.

  • Click the 'Conditional Formatting' option on the 'Home' tab, and then click 'OK'.

  • Click on 'New Rule', and select 'Use a formula to determine which cells to format'.

  • Write the formula =IF(B5=TRUE, TRUE, FALSE), removing the dollar sign from the cell reference to avoid constant referencing. Replace 'B5' with the reference of the cell you linked to the checkbox.

  • Click on 'Format', select 'strikethrough' and 'italic' in the font tab, and choose a fill color of your choice.

  • Apply the same technique for the 'Task' column.

  • Test your formula by ticking the checkboxes, which should automatically strikethrough and change the color of the corresponding tasks.

  • If desired, you can hide the status column to keep the sheet clean. The strikethrough and color change will still occur when a checkbox is ticked.

Pros

  • Enhances productivity.

  • Applicable to varied tasks.

  • Color-coding and strikethroughs enhance aesthetics.

Cons

  • Requires individual checkbox linking.

  • Rules apply globally.

  • Needs understanding of Excel formulas and formatting.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Remove Strikethrough In Excel?

  • Open the Excel document and click on the cell that contains the word or sentence with the strikethrough.

  • After selecting the cell, right-click and you will see the option 'Format Cell'. Click on it.

  • In the Format Cell window that opens up, go to the 'Font' tab.

  • Under the 'Effects' section in the Font tab, you will see that the 'Strikethrough' option is enabled. To remove the strikethrough, simply untick the 'Strikethrough' box.

  • After unticking the 'Strikethrough' box, click on 'OK'. This will remove the strikethrough from the selected cell.

How To Do A Strikethrough In Excel?

  • The strikethrough function in Microsoft Excel is accessible through a keyboard shortcut, like most useful features.

  • On Windows, it's Ctrl + 5.

  • On Mac, press Command + Shift + X.

How To Use Strikethrough In Excel?

  • To incorporate strikethrough formatting, first select the specific cell where you want to introduce this feature.

  • Next, on the Home ribbon tab, locate and press the Font Settings icon, positioned in the bottom-right area of the Font group.

  • This action will trigger the 'Format cells' pop-up window, where you can access the strikethrough feature under the Font tab.

  • Tick the strikethrough checkbox and then hit OK. Doing so will enable strikethrough formatting on the selected cell's content.

Summary

This comprehensive guide provides various methods to efficiently utilize the Excel strikethrough feature, including keyboard shortcuts, conditional formatting, and cross-worksheet application. These techniques enhance productivity, data comprehension, and task organization, although beginners may find them complex and overuse should be avoided.

While the focus is primarily on Microsoft Excel, these methods can also be applied to other spreadsheet software, such as WPS Office, which is a free alternative to MS Office and available both online and offline. If you have not experienced it yet, give WPS Office a try and you will like it because of its lightweight nature, user-friendly interface, and outstanding features.


15 years of office industry experience, tech lover and copywriter. Follow me for product reviews, comparisons, and recommendations for new apps and software.