Free generator, copy and paste
How to cross out text anywhere you type
Crossing out text works three different ways depending on the app: a shortcut, a bit of typed markup, or copy-paste. Find your app below, or use the tool right here.
- strikethrough
- short strike
- wavy strike
- slash
- long slash
- double slash
- strike + underline
- strike + overline
- underline
- double underline
- overline
- dotted
- wave
- x below
- redacted
- Discord · Reddit · Markdown
- WhatsApp · Slack
Updated · strikethroughtext.online
Three ways to cross out text
Every app falls into one of three groups:
- Editors with formatting (Word, Google Docs, Excel, Outlook, Notion). Select the text and press a shortcut or click a button.
- Chat apps with markup (Discord, WhatsApp, Reddit, Slack, Telegram). Type symbols around the words and the app draws the line.
- Everything else (Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, usernames, file names). There’s no formatting, so copy crossed-out text made of Unicode characters and paste it.
Find your app in the tables below. If it isn’t listed, try the third way: it works anywhere you can type.
Documents, spreadsheets and email
| App | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Word | Ctrl + D, then Alt + K | ⌘ + Shift + X |
| Google Docs | Alt + Shift + 5 | ⌘ + Shift + X |
| Excel | Ctrl + 5 | ⌘ + Shift + X |
| PowerPoint | Ctrl + T, then Alt + K | ⌘ + Shift + X |
| Gmail | Formatting bar button | Formatting bar button |
| Outlook | Format Text → ab̶c̶ | Format → Font |
The full shortcut table covers Sheets, Slides, Notion, Slack and more.
Chat apps
| App | Type this | You get |
|---|---|---|
| Discord | ~~text~~ |
a line drawn by Discord |
~text~ |
a line drawn by WhatsApp | |
~~text~~ |
a line drawn by Reddit | |
| Slack | ~text~ |
a line drawn by Slack |
| Telegram | Ctrl + Shift + X on desktop | a line drawn by Telegram |
These are the better option where they exist. The app draws the line in its own font, and the text doesn’t use up extra characters.
Social apps and anywhere else
Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube titles don’t support formatting. Use the tool at the top of this page:
- Type or paste your text in the box.
- Click a result to copy it.
- Paste it into your post, bio, comment or message.
Each letter carries an invisible line mark, so the line comes with the text wherever it goes.
On a phone
The same three groups apply, with phone-specific steps for the format menus. The iPhone guide covers Notes, Messages and Mail; the Android guide covers WhatsApp, Google Docs and Telegram.
Removing it again
In editors and chat apps, select the text and use the same shortcut or delete the tildes. For copy-paste text, paste it into the remove formatting tool to get plain text back.
Questions people ask
How do I cross out text?
In Word, Google Docs and other editors, select the text and use the strikethrough shortcut or button. In Discord, Reddit and WhatsApp, wrap the words in tildes. In Instagram, TikTok, X and anywhere without formatting, copy crossed-out text from a generator like this one and paste it.
How do I cross out text on my phone?
Apps with formatting, like Notes, WhatsApp and Google Docs, have a strikethrough option when you select text. For apps without one, open this page in your browser, type your text, tap a result to copy it, and paste.
What is crossed-out text called?
Strikethrough, also written strike through, strikeout or strikethru. Editors and proofreaders call it a deletion mark.
Why does crossed-out text disappear when I paste it?
The line was formatting, and the app you pasted into doesn’t support formatting. Copy-paste strikethrough from this page keeps its line because it’s built into the characters.