strikethrough.text

OneNote on Windows and Mac

Strikethrough in OneNote Ctrl + Hyphen

Select the text and press Ctrl and the hyphen key. It toggles, so press it again to take the line off.

WindowsCtrl+-The hyphen key on the main row
Mac · WebHome→ab̶c̶Strikethrough button in the Home tab

Updated · strikethroughtext.online

The shortcut on Windows

  1. Select the words, a whole line, or several paragraphs.
  2. Press Ctrl + - (the hyphen key on the main row).
  3. Press it again to remove the line.

It works in OneNote for Windows, including the version that comes with Microsoft 365. If nothing happens, check you’re using the hyphen next to 0 on the main row.

On a Mac and on the web

OneNote for Mac and OneNote in the browser put strikethrough on the ribbon:

  1. Select the text.
  2. On the Home tab, click ab̶c̶ next to Bold, Italic and Underline.

In a narrow browser window the button may be under the font options overflow. Widen the window or use the ··· menu at the end of the ribbon.

Crossing off to-do items

OneNote’s To Do tag gives you a checkbox, but ticking it doesn’t strike the text. Many people like both: tick the box and strike the item, so finished tasks fade back while still showing they happened.

A quick routine on Windows:

  1. Click the item’s checkbox, or press Ctrl + 1 to toggle the To Do tag.
  2. Press Home then Shift + End to select the line.
  3. Press Ctrl + -.

Three keystrokes and the item is ticked and crossed out.

Removing strikethrough

Select the text and press Ctrl + - again. To strip every kind of formatting at once, bold and colours included, press Ctrl + Shift + N. That resets the selection to OneNote’s default text style.

Taking struck text out of OneNote

Strikethrough is formatting, so it survives a paste into Word or Outlook but disappears in chat apps, social posts and file names. The copy-paste version on this page builds the line into the characters, so it pastes anywhere.

A note on shared notebooks

If you share a notebook, strikethrough is a good way to show something is done or dropped without deleting it, so others can still see the history. Add a word like “done” or “dropped” for anyone using a screen reader, which may not announce the line.

Copy-paste version

For the places where OneNote formatting won't follow your text, like file names, chat apps or a social bio.

8 characters, 2 words
Ctrl + Enter copies the first result

Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.

  • strikethroughB̶u̶y̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶k̶
  • short strikeB̵u̵y̵ ̵m̵i̵l̵k̵
  • wavy strikeB̴u̴y̴ ̴m̴i̴l̴k̴
  • slashB̷u̷y̷ ̷m̷i̷l̷k̷
  • long slashB̸u̸y̸ ̸m̸i̸l̸k̸
  • double slashB̸̷u̸̷y̸̷ ̸̷m̸̷i̸̷l̸̷k̸̷
  • strike + underlineB̶̲u̶̲y̶̲ ̶̲m̶̲i̶̲l̶̲k̶̲
  • strike + overlineB̶̅u̶̅y̶̅ ̶̅m̶̅i̶̅l̶̅k̶̅
  • underlineB̲u̲y̲ ̲m̲i̲l̲k̲
  • double underlineB̳u̳y̳ ̳m̳i̳l̳k̳
  • overlineB̅u̅y̅ ̅m̅i̅l̅k̅
  • dottedB̤ṳy̤ ̤m̤i̤l̤k̤
  • waveB̰ṵy̰ ̰m̰ḭl̰k̰
  • x belowB͓u͓y͓ ͓m͓i͓l͓k͓
  • redacted████████

Questions people ask

What is the shortcut for strikethrough in OneNote?

Ctrl + Hyphen on Windows: hold Ctrl and press the minus key on the main row of the keyboard. On a Mac and in OneNote for the web, use the ab̶c̶ button on the Home tab.

Why does Ctrl + minus not work?

Use the hyphen key next to 0 on the main row rather than the minus key on the number pad, and make sure some text is selected first. Strikethrough only applies to a selection.

Can OneNote cross out a to-do item automatically when I tick it?

No. Ticking a To Do tag adds a checkmark but leaves the text alone. Select the item and press Ctrl + Hyphen after ticking it, or use both at once for a list that shows what’s done at a glance.

How do I remove strikethrough in OneNote?

Select the struck text and press Ctrl + Hyphen again, or click the ab̶c̶ button. Ctrl + Shift + N clears all formatting from the selection.

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