A Guide to Google Sheets Strikethrough Formatting [3 Ways]

The fastest way to use strikethrough in Google Sheets is the keyboard shortcut: press Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows, or Option + Shift + 5 on Mac. Select your cells first, then press the shortcut and the strikethrough text formatting applies instantly.

This guide covers all three methods for applying strikethrough, how to set it up automatically with conditional formatting, and how to remove it when you’re done.

How to Strikethrough in Google Sheets: Keyboard Shortcut

The keyboard shortcut is the fastest method for most users. It works on individual cells, ranges, and even partial text within a cell.

Windows: Alt + Shift + 5
Mac: Option + Shift + 5

To apply it:

1. Select the cell or range of cells where you want to apply strikethrough formatting.
2. Press Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows, or Option + Shift + 5 on Mac.

The shortcut acts as a toggle. Press it again on cells that already have strikethrough text and it removes the formatting.

To use strikethrough on part of a cell rather than the whole thing, double-click the cell to enter edit mode, select the specific text you want to cross out, then press the shortcut. This is the only way to strikethrough text within a cell without affecting the rest of its content.

If you work across both apps, note that the Google Sheets shortcut differs from the one in Google Docs. To use strikethrough in Docs you press Cmd + Shift + X on Mac, or Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows. The full Google Docs strikethrough guide has the complete method breakdown if you need it.

For a broader look at time-saving shortcuts, the Google Sheets keyboard shortcuts guide covers the most useful ones across formatting, navigation, and data entry.

Apply Strikethrough Automatically with Conditional Formatting

If you’re running a to-do list or task tracker, you can set Google Sheets to apply strikethrough formatting automatically when a checkbox is ticked. This is the most useful version of strikethrough for ongoing work.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Select the range you want to apply the formatting to. In the example above, that’s B2:B14, the task name column.
2. Go to Format, then Conditional formatting.
3. In the conditional formatting pane, change the Format cell if dropdown to Custom formula is.
4. Enter your formula. The example above uses =$A2=TRUE, which applies the formatting when the checkbox in column A is checked. Adjust the column letter to match where your checkboxes actually are.
5. Under Formatting style, click the strikethrough icon to select it.
6. Click Done.

Once it’s set up, checking any box in column A will immediately apply strikethrough to the corresponding row. Unchecking the box removes it. You can copy the conditional formatting to other sheets or ranges without rebuilding the rule from scratch.

This setup works well with the Google Sheets task list template, which already includes checkboxes and a progress bar you can combine with conditional strikethrough for a complete task-tracking system.

How to Strikethrough Using the Toolbar

The toolbar gives you one-click access to strikethrough without needing to remember the shortcut.

1. Select the cells or range where you want to apply the strikethrough formatting.
2. Click the strikethrough icon in the toolbar (the S with a line through it).

Like the keyboard shortcut, the toolbar button acts as a toggle. Click it again on cells that already have the formatting to remove it.

How to Strikethrough Using the Format Menu

The Format menu is the least efficient of the three methods, but it’s useful to know if the toolbar icon isn’t visible or you’re working on a smaller screen.

1. Select the cells or range where you want to apply strikethrough formatting.
2. Click Format in the top menu bar.
3. Go to Text, then click Strikethrough.

The same path removes strikethrough: select the formatted cells and follow the same steps to uncheck it.

How to Remove Strikethrough in Google Sheets

All three methods above are toggles, so removing strikethrough works the same way as adding it. Select the cells and press the shortcut, click the toolbar icon, or go through Format, then Text, then Strikethrough again.

To remove strikethrough from every cell in the sheet at once:

1. Click the gray rectangle in the top-left corner of the sheet (above row 1 and to the left of column A). This selects all cells.

2. Press Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows, or Option + Shift + 5 on Mac, to remove strikethrough formatting from the entire sheet.

If you want to remove all formatting at once rather than just strikethrough, the clear formatting guide covers the fastest ways to do that.

Strikethrough in Google Sheets on Mobile

The Google Sheets mobile app supports strikethrough via the Format menu. There is no keyboard shortcut available on mobile, even if you have a physical keyboard attached.

To apply it on Android or iOS:

1. Tap the cell or cells you want to format.
2. Tap the Format icon (the A with lines) in the toolbar.
3. Under the Text tab, tap Strikethrough.

On iPad with a connected keyboard, press Alt + Shift + 5 to apply strikethrough the same way you would on a Windows desktop. The Option key on an Apple keyboard functions as Alt in this context.

A Few Things Worth Knowing

Strikethrough formatting survives sorting and filtering. If you sort a column or apply a filter that moves rows around, the strikethrough text stays attached to the cell it was applied to. It won’t drift or disappear.

When you export a Google Sheet to Excel, strikethrough formatting carries over correctly to the .xlsx file. The same applies in reverse: if you open an Excel file in Google Sheets that has strikethrough cells, the formatting displays as expected.

If you work with strikethrough formatting in both Google Sheets and Excel regularly, the approach is slightly different in each. The Excel strikethrough guide covers the Ctrl+5 shortcut and the other methods available there.