When you are collaborating on a shared project in Google Docs, you often need to show edits without actually deleting the original text. Applying a “strikethrough” (drawing a horizontal line directly through the middle of the words) is the perfect way to suggest that a paragraph should be removed while still allowing your colleagues to read what was originally written. While you can hunt for this option in the top menus, using a keyboard shortcut is infinitely faster.
How to Strikethrough Text on Windows
If you are using a Windows PC or a Chromebook, the shortcut utilizes the Alt key.
- Use your mouse to highlight the exact text you want to cross out.
- Press and hold Alt + Shift + 5 on your keyboard simultaneously.
The text will instantly be crossed out. If you make a mistake and want to remove the strikethrough, simply highlight the text again and press the exact same three keys to toggle the formatting off.
How to Strikethrough Text on Mac
If you are using an Apple MacBook or iMac, the shortcut is slightly different.
- Highlight the text you want to modify.
- Press and hold Command + Shift + X on your keyboard.
Using the Format Menu
If you simply cannot remember the keyboard shortcuts, you can always apply the effect manually.
- Highlight the text.
- In the top toolbar, click on Format.
- Hover your mouse over Text.
- Click on Strikethrough from the flyout menu.
Using strikethrough formatting makes document revision significantly easier and much less confusing than aggressively deleting your coworkers’ paragraphs.