Google Docs on Windows and Mac
Strikethrough in Google Docs the shortcut, the menu, the app
Select your text and press the shortcut. Press it again to take the line off.
Updated · strikethroughtext.online
On a computer
- Select the text you want to cross out.
- Press Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows or a Chromebook, or ⌘ + Shift + X on a Mac.
- To remove it, select the same text and press the shortcut again.
If you’d rather click, open the Format menu, then Text, then Strikethrough. There’s no strikethrough button on the toolbar by default, which is why most people never find it.
In the Google Docs app
- Double-tap a word, then drag the blue handles to select everything you want.
- Tap the formatting icon at the top of the screen (an A with lines next to it).
- On the Text tab, tap the strikethrough button, the S with a line through it.
The same steps work on iPhone, iPad and Android.
Strikethrough vs. Suggesting mode
If you’re editing someone else’s document, strikethrough is usually the wrong tool. Switch to Suggesting mode (the pencil icon at the top right, then Suggesting). Now when you delete text, Docs shows it struck through in your colour, and the owner can accept or reject each change with a click. It’s strikethrough with a paper trail.
Use real strikethrough when the struck text should stay struck: to-do lists, a menu with a sold-out item, a deliberate joke.
To-do lists
Docs has a checklist format: Format → Bullets & numbering → Checklist, or the checklist button on the toolbar. When you tick an item, Docs strikes it through automatically. That’s faster than applying strikethrough by hand to each line.
When the formatting won’t follow you
Strikethrough is formatting, so it disappears when you copy text out of Docs into a place that doesn’t support formatting: an Instagram caption, a plain-text email, a file name, a chat app. For those, use the copy-paste version on this page. The line is made of characters, so it survives anywhere.
Removing all formatting
To strip strikethrough along with bold, italics and everything else, select the text and press Ctrl + \ (⌘ + \ on a Mac), or use Format → Clear formatting.
Copy-paste version
For the places where Google Docs formatting won't follow your text, like file names, chat apps or a social bio.
- strikethrough
- short strike
- wavy strike
- slash
- long slash
- double slash
- strike + underline
- strike + overline
- underline
- double underline
- overline
- dotted
- wave
- x below
- redacted
Questions people ask
What is the strikethrough shortcut in Google Docs?
Alt + Shift + 5 on Windows and ChromeOS, and Cmd + Shift + X on a Mac. Select the text first. The same shortcut removes the strikethrough again.
Why is Alt + Shift + 5 not working?
Use the 5 on the main row of the keyboard, not the number pad. Some keyboard layouts and language switchers also capture Alt + Shift, which changes the input language instead. If that happens, use Format → Text → Strikethrough.
How do I strikethrough in the Google Docs app on a phone?
Double-tap a word and drag the handles to select your text, tap the formatting icon (an A with lines) at the top, and tap the strikethrough button in the Text tab.
How can I show deletions without actually deleting the text?
Use Suggesting mode instead of strikethrough. Click the pencil icon at the top right and choose Suggesting. Anything you delete is shown struck through in colour until the document owner accepts or rejects it.