Strikethrough is the digital equivalent of crossing something out with a pen… without the dramatic flourish of violently scribbling until the paper tears. It’s perfect for edits, price changes, to-do lists, and that special brand of internet humor where you “accidentally” reveal what you almost said.

The only catch: Google Docs doesn’t put the strikethrough button front-and-center like Bold or Italic. So if you’ve ever hovered over the toolbar thinking, “Surely it’s here somewhere,” congratsyou have discovered the Great Google Docs Scavenger Hunt.

The fastest ways (quick answer)

• Menu method (desktop): Select text → Format → Text → Strikethrough
• Keyboard shortcut (Windows/Chromebook): Select text → Alt + Shift + 5
• Keyboard shortcut (Mac): Select text → ⌘ + Shift + X
• Mobile app (iPhone/Android/iPad): Select text → tap the A formatting icon → tap the strikethrough S

What “strikethrough” does (and when you should use it)

Strikethrough draws a horizontal line through text so it stays visible but clearly “not active.” Think of it as a polite way to say, “This isn’t the final version, but I’m not ready to delete it and commit emotionally.”

Common use cases

• Editing: Mark words to remove without erasing the draft history.
• Price changes: Show discounts like $199 $149.
• Task lists: Cross off items as you complete them (very satisfying).
• Tone / humor: “This project is going great fine.”

Method 1: Strikethrough using the menu on desktop

This is the most foolproof method because it doesn’t care what keyboard you have, what shortcuts are stolen by your operating system, or whether your cat just walked across your keys.

1. Open your Google Doc in a browser.
2. Highlight the text you want to cross out.
3. Click Format in the top menu.
4. Hover over Text.
5. Click Strikethrough.

Tip: While you’re in Format → Text, notice the other handy formatting tools hiding in there (superscript, subscript, capitalization options). It’s like the “secret menu” of Google Docs, minus the fries.

Method 2: Strikethrough with keyboard shortcuts (the speed-run option)

On Windows or Chromebook

Alt + Shift + 5 toggles strikethrough on the selected text. “Toggles” is key: do it once to add strikethrough, do it again to remove it.

On Mac

⌘ + Shift + X toggles strikethrough. Same deal: press once to strike, press again to un-strike.

Shortcut power tips

• See all shortcuts: Press Ctrl + / (Windows/Chromebook) or ⌘ + / (Mac) inside Google Docs to open the shortcut list.
• Find commands faster: Use the menu search/tool finder to hunt features instead of clicking through menus. (Great when you vaguely remember “it’s in here somewhere.”)

Method 3: Strikethrough on the Google Docs mobile app (iPhone, iPad, Android)

On mobile, strikethrough existsbut it’s tucked behind the formatting controls. Once you know where the button is, it’s easy. Until then, it’s basically “escape room: text edition.”

1. Open the Google Docs app and open your document.
2. If needed, tap the pencil/edit icon to enter editing mode.
3. Tap and drag to select the text you want to cross out.
4. Tap the A (formatting) icon.
5. Tap the strikethrough S to apply it.

Mobile tip: If you’re selecting multiple words, try a double-tap to highlight a word, then drag the selection handles to expand it. Saves you from the dreaded “Oops, I selected one letter and now everything is chaos.”

Method 4: Hands-free strikethrough with Voice Typing (yes, really)

If you’re using Google Docs on a computer in a supported browser, you can apply formatting by speaking. This is particularly useful if you’re dictating notes, accessibility is a priority, or your wrists are begging for mercy.

How to do it

1. Go to Tools → Voice typing and turn on the microphone.
2. Select the text (you can even say voice commands to select text).
3. Say “Strikethrough” to apply it.
4. Say “Remove strikethrough” to undo it.

Important note: Voice commands work best when your account language and document language are set to English. If this feature is disabled in a work/school account, an administrator may have turned it off.

Method 5: Strikethrough with Markdown in Google Docs (for web writers and shortcut nerds)

Google Docs supports Markdown-style formatting when Markdown is enabled. This is handy if you write for the web, bounce between tools, or prefer formatting while typing instead of reaching for menus.

Turn Markdown on

1. In your Google Doc (desktop), click Tools → Preferences.
2. Enable Markdown (or “Automatically detect Markdown,” depending on what your account shows).

Type strikethrough in Markdown

With Markdown enabled, you can create strikethrough by wrapping text in tildes: ~like this~. After you finish typing, Docs converts it into strikethrough formatting.

Bonus: Paste or export Markdown (optional, but powerful)

• Paste from Markdown: Right-click → Paste from Markdown (converts formatting on paste).
• Copy as Markdown: Right-click → Copy as Markdown.
• Download as Markdown: File → Download → Markdown (.md).

How to remove strikethrough (and not accidentally nuke your formatting)

Removing strikethrough is easy, but Google Docs gives you two very different “undo” routesone gentle, one scorched-earth.

Option A: Toggle it off (recommended)

• Highlight the struck text and use the same shortcut again (it toggles).
• Or go back to Format → Text → Strikethrough to toggle it off.

Option B: Clear formatting (use with caution)

Clearing formatting removes strikethrough and anything else like bold, italics, font changes, and more. Great if you want a total reset; not great if you wanted to keep your carefully styled headings.

• Windows/Chromebook: Ctrl +
• Mac: ⌘ +

Power-user moves: strikethrough faster when you’re editing a lot

1) Use checklists that auto-strikethrough when completed

If your goal is “cross off tasks,” consider using a checklist instead of manually striking text. In many Docs setups, checking a checklist item automatically applies strikethrough to that lineinstant progress dopamine.

How to try it: insert a checklist (from the toolbar checklist icon or list options), type your items, then click the checkbox to mark an item complete.

2) Strikethrough multiple scattered sections in one go (non-contiguous selection)

Here’s a workflow that feels like cheating (in the best way). Google Docs can select multiple non-adjacent chunks of text so you can format them all at once.

1. Select your first piece of text normally.
2. Hold Ctrl (Windows/Chromebook) or Command (Mac).
3. Select another chunk elsewhere in the document.
4. Repeat until you’ve selected everything you want.
5. Apply strikethrough once (shortcut or menu) to affect all selected pieces.

3) Want a strikethrough button on the toolbar?

On desktop, Docs doesn’t always give you a built-in, one-click strikethrough button in the main toolbar. If you’re a heavy strikethrough user (editors, copywriters, people managing chaotic brainstorm docs), you may see browser extensions in the Chrome Web Store that add a dedicated “S̶” button and trigger the native shortcut.

Practical advice: If you use a work or school Google account, check whether your organization allows extensions before you install anything.

Troubleshooting: strikethrough isn’t workingnow what?

Problem 1: The shortcut does nothing

• Make sure the text is selected. Many formatting shortcuts do nothing without a selection.
• Click into the document first. If your cursor is in the address bar or a comment box, the shortcut may not apply.
• Try the menu method. Format → Text → Strikethrough bypasses shortcut conflicts.
• Check keyboard conflicts. Some systems use Alt/Shift combos for language switching or other OS actionsif that’s happening, adjust your system shortcut or use the menu/voice/Markdown route instead.
• Extensions can hijack keys. If it suddenly broke, try a private/incognito window (extensions are often disabled there) and test again.

Problem 2: The option is grayed out

• You might be in View-only mode. Request edit access or switch to an editable copy.
• You might be editing a restricted area. Some docs have protected sections.

Problem 3: Mobile formatting menu doesn’t show strikethrough

• Confirm you’re in edit mode (pencil icon).
• Update the app if the formatting icons look outdated or missing.
• Try selecting different text (sometimes the menu behaves differently with headings vs. body text).

Style + accessibility: use strikethrough wisely

Strikethrough is helpful, but it can reduce readabilityespecially for long passages or for users with certain visual or cognitive accessibility needs. A good rule: strikethrough is best for short snippets (a phrase, a number, a single sentence), not entire paragraphs.

Accessible alternatives

• Suggesting mode for collaborative editing (keeps a clear change trail).
• Comments to explain why text should change.
• Highlighting to flag items for revision without crossing them out.
• Version history when you want safety without visual clutter.

FAQ: quick answers people search for

Where is strikethrough in Google Docs?

On desktop, it’s in Format → Text → Strikethrough. On mobile, it’s in the formatting menu under the A icon.

What’s the strikethrough shortcut in Google Docs?

Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows/Chromebook and ⌘ + Shift + X on Mac.

How do I remove strikethrough?

Re-apply it (it toggles) using the same shortcut or menu path. Avoid “Clear formatting” unless you want to remove other formatting too.

Can I strikethrough using Markdown?

Yesenable Markdown in Tools → Preferences, then type ~text~.

Real-world experiences: how strikethrough actually saves your sanity (about )

Strikethrough sounds like a tiny formatting trickuntil you notice how often it quietly prevents misunderstandings. In real documents, people rarely delete text immediately. They hesitate. They second-guess. They want receipts. Strikethrough becomes the “parking lot” for ideas that are probably out… but might still be useful.

Picture a shared project plan where three teammates are editing at once. One person wants to remove a feature. Another thinks it should stay. If you delete the line, you trigger panic: “Waitwhat disappeared?” If you strikethrough it, you’re communicating: “This is being reconsidered.” The team can discuss it in comments, keep context visible, and make a decision without losing the thread. It’s the difference between collaboration and chaos with timestamps.

Or take budgets and pricing. Strikethrough is basically made for showing changes without forcing readers to guess what happened. A line item like $2,500 $2,100 immediately tells the story: the number changed and the old value still matters for context. The same trick works for timelines (Friday Monday), meeting locations (Room 204 Zoom), and “final draft” promises (final final-ish).

Then there’s the to-do list phenomenon. Many people start by manually striking tasks as they finish them… until they discover checklists. The first time you click a checkbox and the text neatly crosses itself out, it feels like a tiny productivity confetti cannon. Better still: it keeps your completed items visible so you can prove to yourself (and others) that you actually did things this week. Yes, replying to one email counts. No, we’re not judging.

Strikethrough is also a surprisingly effective drafting tool when you’re writing anything creativeblog posts, scripts, product descriptions, even emails you’re trying very hard not to send while annoyed. Instead of backspacing your spicy sentence, you strike it and write the calmer version next to it. Later, when you reread with fresh eyes, you can decide whether the struck line was brilliant, unhinged, or “brilliant but unhinged.” Either way, you kept your options open.

Finally, strikethrough helps with consistency edits. Say you’re standardizing a term across a long documentchanging “customers” to “clients,” or “Q4” to “FY2026 Q4.” If you use non-contiguous selection, you can grab multiple scattered instances and apply formatting in one move. It’s not just faster; it reduces the chance you’ll miss a spot and end up with a document that feels like it was edited by two different people… because it was.

Bottom line: strikethrough isn’t just decoration. It’s a communication tool. Use it to signal intent (“remove this”), preserve context (“this used to be here”), and keep collaboration friendly (“I didn’t delete your idea, I just parked it”). And if you can do all that with one shortcut? That’s not formattingthat’s leverage.

Conclusion

Now you’ve got every practical path to strikethrough on Google Docs: the menu method, the fast shortcuts, mobile formatting, voice commands, and even Markdown. The best method is the one you’ll actually remember under pressure so pick your favorite and use it like you mean it.

If you want the simplest mental sticky note: Format → Text → Strikethrough (and the shortcut is Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows/Chromebook or ⌘ + Shift + X on Mac).