How to Strikethrough in Word: 3 Easy Methods

Strikethrough in Word is the cleanest way to mark text as edited, completed, or superseded without losing the original wording — and once you know the shortcut, it takes less than a second to apply.

In this guide, you’ll learn three reliable ways to add strikethrough in Microsoft Word — using the ribbon, the keyboard shortcut, and the Font dialog box — plus how to remove it and fix the most common issues. If you’re new to Word formatting, you may also want to brush up on the Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet first.

Contents hide

1 What Is Strikethrough in Word?

2 How to Strikethrough in Word: Step-by-Step

3 Method 1: How to Strikethrough in Word Using the Ribbon

4 Method 2: How to Strikethrough in Word Using the Keyboard Shortcut

5 Method 3: How to Strikethrough in Word Using the Font Dialog Box

6 Which Method Should You Use?

7 Common Problems When Using Strikethrough in Word

What Is Strikethrough in Word?

Strikethrough is a character-level formatting option that draws a horizontal line through selected text while leaving the words readable. Unlike deleting, it preserves the original content — useful when you need a visible record of what was changed.

It’s the right tool for:

Showing revisions during editing or peer review
Crossing off completed items on a checklist
Comparing old wording against new without deleting either
Marking text for discussion in collaborative documents

Watch the Video Tutorial

If you prefer to see this in action, the full video walkthrough is below, showing each method step by step.

How to Strikethrough in Word: Step-by-Step

There are three reliable ways to apply strikethrough in Word, and each one suits a different workflow. The ribbon method is the most visual, the keyboard shortcut is the fastest, and the Font dialog gives you access to double strikethrough as well.

Method 1: How to Strikethrough in Word Using the Ribbon

This is the most beginner-friendly approach and works identically across every modern version of Word — Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word Online.

Steps:

Select the text you want to cross out
Go to the Home tab on the ribbon
Locate the Font group
Click the Strikethrough button — the “ab” icon with a line through it

Microsoft Word Home tab showing the Strikethrough button in the Font group for strikethrough in Word.

👉 The selected text now appears with a single horizontal line through the centre, and the formatting stays applied until you toggle it off.

Method 2: How to Strikethrough in Word Using the Keyboard Shortcut

If you format text frequently, the keyboard shortcut is the fastest route. Word doesn’t ship with a dedicated single-key shortcut for strikethrough — instead, it uses the ribbon’s KeyTips sequence.

Steps:

Select the text you want to strike through
Press Alt + H
Then press 4

Microsoft Word ribbon KeyTips showing the Alt H 4 keyboard shortcut for strikethrough in Word.

👉 The shortcut triggers the same Strikethrough command as the ribbon button, but without breaking your hand position on the keyboard.

Method 3: How to Strikethrough in Word Using the Font Dialog Box

The Font dialog box unlocks two options the ribbon doesn’t show — single strikethrough and double strikethrough — and lets you combine them with other character effects in one step.

Steps:

Select your text
Press Ctrl + D to open the Font dialog box
Under Effects, tick either Strikethrough or Double strikethrough
Click OK

👉 Double strikethrough is useful when you need to distinguish between two stages of revision — a single line for first-pass edits, a double line for final removals.

Which Method Should You Use?

Method	Best For	Speed
Ribbon button	Beginners and occasional use	Medium
Keyboard shortcut (Alt H 4)	Frequent editing and revision work	Fastest
Font dialog (Ctrl + D)	Double strikethrough or combined effects	Slowest

Common Problems When Using Strikethrough in Word

The strikethrough button is greyed out

This means no text is selected. Highlight the text first, then click the button — the ribbon icon only activates when there’s a valid selection to format.

The Alt H 4 shortcut doesn’t work

Press the keys in sequence, not together — tap Alt, then H, then 4. If KeyTips don’t appear when you press Alt, your ribbon may be customised; reset it via File → Options → Customize Ribbon → Reset.

Can’t find the strikethrough button on the ribbon

It lives in the Font group on the Home tab, between the underline and subscript buttons. If your Word window is narrow, the Font group collapses — widen the window or click the small Font group expander arrow.

Strikethrough won’t remove from pasted text

Text pasted from another document sometimes carries hidden formatting. Select the text and press Ctrl + Spacebar to clear all character formatting at once, then reapply only what you need.

Pro Tips

Strikethrough is a toggle — clicking it again on already-formatted text removes the line cleanly
Add Strikethrough to the Quick Access Toolbar to cut the shortcut down to a single Alt + number press
For tracked-change workflows where edits need a full audit trail, use Track Changes instead — strikethrough is for visual marking, not version control
Combine strikethrough with a coloured font to make revisions stand out at a glance — for the cleanest result, customise the font colour first using the guide on how to change background colour in Word

FAQs

What is the keyboard shortcut for strikethrough in Word?

The shortcut for strikethrough in Word is Alt + H + 4. Select your text first, then press the keys in sequence — not together.

Can I apply strikethrough to multiple words at once?

Yes. Highlight a single word, a sentence, a paragraph, or the entire document with Ctrl + A, then apply strikethrough — Word formats every selected character at the same time.

Does strikethrough delete the text?

No. Strikethrough only draws a line through the text — the words stay fully readable and remain in the document until you delete them manually.

How do I remove strikethrough in Word?

Select the crossed-out text and click the Strikethrough button again, or press Alt + H + 4. The formatting toggles off in a single click.

Where is the strikethrough button in Word?

You’ll find it on the Home tab, inside the Font group — it’s the small “ab” icon with a line drawn through the letters.

Can I add a double strikethrough in Word?

Yes. Open the Font dialog box with Ctrl + D, then tick Double strikethrough under the Effects section. It’s the only way to apply two lines — the ribbon button only offers single strikethrough.

Does strikethrough work in Word Online?

Yes. The ribbon button and the Alt + H + 4 shortcut both work identically in Word for the web, although the Font dialog box isn’t available in the browser version.

Conclusion

Strikethrough in Word is one of those small formatting tools that pays for itself the moment you learn the shortcut — three keys and a selection is all it takes to mark revisions, track completed work, or compare wording without losing any of the original text.

Pick the method that matches how you work — the ribbon for clarity, Alt + H + 4 for speed, or the Font dialog for double strikethrough — and pair it with how to remove formatting marks in Word to keep your document clean as you edit.