The Strikethrough Shortcut: How to Strike Text in Seconds

If you write, edit, or manage content for a living, you already know that formatting shouldn't slow you down. At Davnoot, we spend our days optimizing websites, refining copy, and building content that actually converts and small efficiency wins like a strikethrough quick command add up fast when you're editing at scale. It's a tiny feature, but once it's second nature, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

In this guide, we'll walk through the strikethrough shortcut for every major platform Word, Google Docs, Excel, PowerPoint, and Gmail on both Windows and Mac, plus a few real-world reasons this simple formatting trick deserves a permanent spot in your workflow.

What Is a Strikethrough, Exactly?

A strikethrough places a thin line through the middle of a word, sentence, or paragraph. Unlike deleting text outright, it keeps the original content visible while signaling that it's outdated, rejected, or no longer applicable. It's the digital version of crossing something off a to-do list the information stays on the page, but everyone understands it's been superseded.

That visibility is exactly what makes it useful. In collaborative documents, contracts, spreadsheets, and marketing copy, context often matters as much as the final edit.

Why the Strikethrough Shortcut Matters

Before jumping into the key combinations, it's worth understanding why this shortcut earns a place in so many workflows:

• Editing and revision tracking. When you're refining a blog draft or a client proposal, striking out a line lets collaborators see exactly what changed and why, instead of guessing what used to be there.

• Contract and legal redlines. Crossing out an outdated clause while leaving it visible keeps both parties aligned on what's been renegotiated.

• Tone and personality. A playful strikethrough in a social post or email subject line ("Our best sale ever probably") adds a bit of self-aware humor that readers notice.

• Team collaboration. In a shared doc, a quick strikethrough communicates a decision in seconds no comments, no extra thread, no confusion.

If you're building out a content calendar or managing multiple drafts at once, these small formatting habits are part of the same discipline we cover in our guide on choosing the right SEO agency the details that seem minor individually but compound into a much more efficient process.

Strikethrough Shortcuts by Platform

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

• Windows: Alt + Shift + 5

• Mac: Cmd + Shift + X

This is the fastest one on the list, and because it's identical across Docs, Sheets, and Slides, it's usually the first shortcut worth memorizing if your team lives in Google's suite.

Microsoft Word

Word doesn't have a single-keystroke shortcut, but the built-in combo is still quick once it's muscle memory:

• Windows: Select your text, then press Ctrl + D to open the Font dialog, followed by Alt + K, then Enter.

• Mac: Select your text and press Cmd + Shift + X.

Microsoft Excel

• Windows/Mac: Select the cell or text, then press Ctrl + 5.

This works whether you're striking through an entire cell or just part of the text inside it handy for marking completed tasks in a tracker or crossing out old figures in a working model.

Microsoft PowerPoint

• Windows: Select the text, then press Alt + H + 4.

• Mac: Select the text, press Cmd + T to open the Font dialog, choose "Strikethrough," and select "OK."

Outlook and Gmail

• Outlook (Windows): Ctrl + D, then Alt + K, then Enter.

• Outlook (Mac): Cmd + T, select "Strikethrough," then "OK."

• Gmail: Highlight your text, open "Formatting options" (the small "A" icon in the compose toolbar), and click the strikethrough icon Gmail doesn't currently support a native keyboard shortcut, so this is the quickest manual route.

A Quick Reference Table

Google Docs / Sheets / Slides
Windows: Alt + Shift + 5
Mac: Cmd + Shift + X

Word
Windows: Ctrl + D → Alt + K → Enter
Mac: Cmd + Shift + X

Excel
Windows: Ctrl + 5
Mac: Ctrl + 5

PowerPoint
Windows: Alt + H + 4
Mac: Cmd + T → Strikethrough

Outlook
Windows: Ctrl + D → Alt + K → Enter
Mac: Cmd + T → Strikethrough

Where This Fits Into a Bigger Workflow

None of this is groundbreaking on its own but efficiency at the small scale is exactly what separates teams that ship content consistently from teams that get bogged down in formatting friction. If you're revising landing page copy, editing ad creative, or collaborating on a client deliverable, a strikethrough quick command means one less pause in your day.

That same mindset removing friction wherever it hides is what drives the strategy work we do for clients. Whether it's refining a paid media plan or finding an SEO partner that fits your budget, the goal is always the same: fewer bottlenecks, faster execution, better results.

Final Thoughts

The strikethrough shortcut isn't going to transform your business overnight, but it's one of those small habits that makes everyday editing noticeably smoother. Pick the shortcut for whatever platform you use most, practice it a few times, and it'll be second nature within a day.

Looking for more ways to tighten up your content and marketing workflow? Browse the rest of the Davnoot blog for practical guides on SEO, paid media, and building systems that actually move the needle.