How to Cross Out Text in Excel

As an Excel expert, I understand the importance of effectively communicating your message through your data. There are times when you may want to cross out certain text in your spreadsheet to indicate that it’s no longer relevant or correct. However, you may not be sure how to do so. In this blog post, I’ll show you a few simple ways to cross out text in Excel, so that you can accurately convey your message and keep your data looking polished and professional.

Introduction

As an Excel expert, I understand the importance of effectively communicating your message through your data. Unfortunately, sometimes you may need to indicate text that is no longer relevant or correct for your spreadsheet’s integrity. That’s where strikethrough comes in.

Method 1: Use Strikethrough Button

The easiest way to cross out text in Excel is to use the Strikethrough button. Here’re the straightforward steps:

1. Select the cell containing text you want to cross out;
2. Go to the ‘Home’ tab in the Excel ribbon and click the ‘Font’ group;
3. Locate and click the ‘Strikethrough’ button, and you’re good to go!

Tip:

You can also use the keyboard shortcut ‘CTRL + 5’ to strikethrough the text without going through the steps above.

Method 2: Strikethrough with Conditional Formatting

If you want Excel to automatically strikethrough certain text that meets particular criteria, conditional formatting is the answer.

1. Select the cells you want the conditional strikethrough applied to;
2. Go to the ‘Home’ tab and click ‘Conditional Formatting’ under the ‘Styles’ group;
3. Select ‘New Rule,’ and ‘Use a formula to determine which cells to format’;
4. Type the formula or logic that you need in the ‘Format values where this formula is true’ box;
5. Click the ‘Format’ button and then select the ‘Font’ tab;
6. Check the ‘Strikethrough’ checkbox;
7. Click ‘OK’ to apply the conditional formatting rule and get the strikethrough effect.

Example:

You might want to cross out all values below 2000 in column B. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Select the cells B2:B10;
2. Head to ‘Conditional Formatting’ > ‘New Rule’;
3. Select ‘Use a formula to determine which cells to format’;
4. Type the formula ‘=B2<2000’;
5. Click ‘Format’ > ‘Font’ tab > check ‘Strikethrough’ checkbox > ‘OK’;
6. Click ‘OK’ to close the dialog box.

By using the above methods, you can easily cross out text in Excel for added clarity and professionalism. You can use the Strikethrough button for a single cell or group of cells, and conditional formatting to automate the formatting. You can choose whether you need a quick fix or a more advanced technique, depending on your preferences and needs.

Additional Tips for Cross Out Text

Here are a few more helpful tips to consider when you want to cross out text in Excel:

1. Cross Out the Entire Row or Column

You can also cross out entire rows and columns in Excel if you want to indicate an entire set of data as no longer valid. To do this, select the row/column you want to cross out and click the ‘Strikethrough’ button in the ‘Font’ group under the Home tab.

2. Format using Cell Styles

Cell Styles in Excel allow you to format cells quickly with predefined styles. If you frequently cross out text in your spreadsheet, you can create a custom cell style and save it for future use, making it faster to apply that style to multiple cells. Here’s how to create a cell style in Excel:

1. Select a cell with the formatting you want to use as a style;
2. Go to the ‘Home’ tab > ‘Styles’ group > ‘Cell Styles’ > ‘New Cell Style’;
3. In the ‘New Style’ dialog box, type a name for the cell style and choose the formatting options you want to include (such as ‘Strikethrough’);
4. Click ‘OK’ to save your new cell style.

3. Removing Strikethrough Formatting

If you want to remove the strikethrough formatting from a cell, row, or column, follow these steps:

1. Select the cell, row, or column with the strikethrough formatting;
2. Go to the ‘Home’ tab > ‘Font’ group;
3. Click the ‘Strikethrough’ button (the button will be highlighted in blue when the text has the strikethrough formatting);
4. Click the ‘Strikethrough’ button again to delete the strikethrough formatting.

Final Thoughts

Crossing out text is simple and can add helpful context when building spreadsheets and analyzing data. Whether you are using conditional formatting to automate cross out effects or Cell Styles to save time for frequent users, apply these tips and tricks mentioned here will make your property showcase to others more effectively.

FAQs

Here are a few frequently asked questions about crossing out text in Excel:

1. Can I cross out text and keep the original value in the cell?

Yes, Excel allows you to cross out text without deleting the original value from the cell. This is useful when you want to indicate information is no longer valid or needs to be updated without erasing original data. To do this, apply the strikethrough formatting to the cell, row, or column as described in the blog post above, and the original value will remain visible in the cell.

2. Can I add color to the cross-out text?

Yes, you can color the text to further highlight stroke out values in Excel. To do this, select the cells with strike-through values and go to the ‘Home’ tab > ‘Font’ group. Click the ‘Font Color’ button and select your desired color.

3. How can I remove strikethrough values if I don’t need them anymore?

To remove strikethrough values, select the cell with the strikethrough formatting then go to the ‘Home’ tab > ‘Font’ group. Click the ‘Strikethrough’ button again to remove the formatting. Alternatively, you can select multiple cells, rows, or columns and use ‘Conditional Formatting’ to remove the strikethrough effect.

4. Can I cross-out text in Excel Online or Office 365?

Yes, you can cross out text in both Excel Online and Office 365. The process is the same as in Excel desktop. Follow the same steps mentioned in the blog post.

5. Is there a limit to the amount of text I can strike out in a cell?

No, there is no limit to the amount of text you can strike out in a cell. The strikethrough will be applied to all text within the cell, regardless of the length of the text.