The Only Guide You'll Need For Excel Strikethrough

Did you know that Excel Strikethrough lets you quickly cross out cells to achieve an organized worksheet?

In this blog post, we'll cover everything there is to know about Excel Strikethrough so that you can master it easily. We'll discuss all the basics of this feature and go over some useful examples to increase accuracy in your data analysis.

Read on as we cover the following:

• What Is Strikethrough in Excel?

• Purpose of the Strikethrough Format in Microsoft Excel

• Different Methods to Strikethrough in Microsoft Excel

• Final Thoughts on Excel Strikethrough

• Frequently Asked Questions on Excel Strikethrough

What Is Strikethrough in Excel?

Strikethrough formatting is a helpful editing tool in word-processing documents and spreadsheets. It involves drawing a horizontal line through text or data. In Excel, this formatting option will cross out any content you have selected within a cell or across multiple cells. Even so, it won't delete the text or values.

When you make a list, cells with strikethrough text mean that it is no longer valid or needed. This process helps track your completed tasks.

Check out our weekly to-do list template if you want to learn how to make a list in Excel. 

Purpose of the Strikethrough Format in Microsoft Excel

The strikethrough effect in Excel is a helpful formatting tool for businesses. It allows you to cross out text and data when tasks or completed list items are no longer valid, deleted, or removed while keeping them visible.

You can use the strikethrough formatting feature in your worksheet for multiple purposes, some of which may include:

• To stay organized, make sure to update your to-do lists constantly. As you complete tasks, cross them off your list to keep track of your progress.

• To keep track of a project, use the strikethrough effect to mark the completed project, which helps when working with others and using an Excel worksheet. You can see what everyone else has finished, track project progress, and meet deadlines.

• HR professionals can use Excel to track employee records, such as salaries and hours. One useful feature is the ability to use the strikethrough effect to mark items as crossed out when an employee resigns from the company.

• Keep track of your company's inventory by using your worksheets. Use the strikethrough effect to indicate which items have become obsolete. You can also use this feature to identify items in your inventory that need replenishment.

Different Methods to Strikethrough in Microsoft Excel

We have listed six main methods for strikethrough in Microsoft Excel:

Home Tab

One way to put more text in a cell or line through cells is by going to the Home tab and opening the Format Cells dialog box.

1. Select the cell to apply the Strikethrough formatting, and go to the Home tab.

2. Under the Font group, click the Font Settings button at the bottom-right corner.

3. A Format Cells dialog box will appear.

4. Navigate to the Font tab.

5. Go to the Effects option, then select Strikethrough.

6. Click the OK button to apply the formatting.

Right-Click Menu

One way to bypass the Home tab completely and use the strikethrough formatting option on cells is using the right-click menu.

1. Choose a cell, then right-click it.

2. Go to the Format Cells dialog box.

3. After you configure your Format Cells dialog box, click the OK button.

Keyboard Shortcut

You can open your Format Cells dialog box using multiple keyboard shortcuts:

To apply Strikethrough formatting:

1. Highlight the cells you want and use the Strikethrough formatting.

2. Then, press Ctrl + 5.

This method will apply all the cell formatting to the selected cells. If you frequently use strikethrough formatting, this shortcut can save you time.

To open the Format Cells menu:

1. Select the cells you want to format.

2. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + 1 (or Command + 1 on a Mac).

To apply strikethrough to your text, follow the same steps as before:

1. Start from the Home tab or open the menu by right-clicking.

2. Look for the Effects section under the Font tab and select Strikethrough.

3. Finally, click OK to apply the strikethrough effect.

Add the Strikethrough Button to the Excel Ribbon

Add a Strikethrough action tab to the Quick Access Toolbar on the Excel ribbon to easily access the feature. With one click, you can apply the strikethrough formatting.

Click on any existing icon to add an icon to your Quick Access Toolbar. Then, choose Customize the Ribbon.

When you do this, Excel Options will appear. On this menu, you must perform the following:

1. From the drop-down menu at the top, select All Commands under Choose Commands.

2. After you receive a list of commands, pick the Strikethrough option.

3. To move the Strikethrough command to your Quick Access Toolbar, click the Add button in the center of the Excel Options menu.

4. To apply the changes you made, click OK.

You can locate the Strikethrough icon in your Quick Access Toolbar. To apply formatting to selected cells, highlight them and double-click this icon.

Automatic Strikethrough with Conditional Formatting

In Excel, you can apply a strikethrough effect on partial text in cells using conditional formatting.

The conditional formatting rule allows you to alter the appearance of cells based on established criteria. If the criteria are met, the entire cell or range of cells will have a strikethrough.

In Excel, prewritten conditions are available. You can also create your own by writing a formula to determine if a cell meets your set conditions, resulting in the selected cell being either true or false.

To add strikethrough to cells using conditional formatting in Excel, follow these steps:

1. To apply automatic conditional formatting, choose a range of cells you want to format.

2. Click the Home tab and select Conditional Formatting under the Styles group. Next, choose New Rule from the drop-down menu.

   

3. When the New Formatting Rule dialog box appears, select the "Use a formula to determine which cells to format" option.

   To set a condition for the top cell, input the formula "=B3="done" in the "Format values where this formula is true" box.

4. After completing the previous step, select Format.

5. To enable strikethrough in your text, click the Format Cells dialog box, then navigate to the Font tab. Then, select Strikethrough. Finally, click the OK button.

6. After returning to the New Formatting Rule dialog box, click OK again to apply the formatting to your spreadsheet.

Quick Tip: Check out our conditional formatting guide to learn more about this feature.

Partial Strikethrough Format in a Cell

You can also add a strikethrough to partial text within a cell. Here are the steps:

1. To strikethrough a text portion, select it and go to the Home tab.

2. Open the Font section by clicking the launch button in the lower-right corner. When the Format Cells dialog box appears, select Strikethrough under Font.

3. Click the OK button to make the partial strikethrough appear.

After selecting the text to which you want to apply a strikethrough effect, you may use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + 1 or Ctrl + 5 (Command + 1 on a Mac).

Final Thoughts on Excel Strikethrough

As we have explored, Excel's built-in strikethrough feature is extremely useful for visually distinguishing completed or crossed tasks from a list. It is an efficient and organized way to stay on top of projects, laundry lists, and more.

For more easy-to-follow guides, visit Simple Sheets and the Related Articles section of this blog post. Subscribe to Simple Sheets on Youtube for the most straightforward Excel video tutorials!

Frequently Asked Questions on Excel Strikethrough

Is there an Alt key for the strikethrough tool in Excel?

Yes, highlight the text you want to strikethrough, then press the CTRL+ALT+5 keys. This way, you can easily strikethrough texts in your worksheet.

Why is it important to strikethrough a text?

The strikethrough in your worksheet means that you need the particular word or sentence removed, allowing readers to view the unedited version of the text for transparency.

Can I sort the cells by strikethrough?

You cannot use the Sort or Filter function to sort or filter data with a strikethrough. However, you can use a User Defined Function to mark the data with a strikethrough and then use the sort or filter feature.

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