How To Put A Line Through Text In Word | Mark Edits Clearly

If you’re trying to learn how to put a line through text in Word, the job is small once you know where the command lives. Word calls that effect Strikethrough. It puts a line across letters without deleting them, so the text stays on the page and still reads clearly.

That makes it handy for draft edits, checklists, classroom notes, old prices, and any spot where you want to show “not this one” without erasing the wording. You can turn it on from the ribbon, turn it off the same way, or open the Font box when you want the double-line version.

How To Put A Line Through Text In Word On Desktop

The plainest way starts on the Home tab. This works on current desktop versions of Word, including Microsoft 365 and recent standalone releases.

Use The Home Tab

1. Select the word, sentence, or paragraph you want to mark.
2. Go to the Home tab.
3. In the Font group, click Strikethrough.

Word adds a single line across the selected text right away. If the line is already there, clicking the same button removes it. That toggle keeps cleanup simple when you change your mind mid-edit.

You don’t need to format a whole paragraph at once. You can strike one word inside a sentence, a short phrase, or a full block of text. The effect stays tied to the selected characters, not to the whole document style, which is why it works so well for small edits inside busy pages.

Use The Font Box For More Control

If you want a heavier mark, Word also has a double strikethrough setting. Select the text, open the Font dialog box from the Home tab, then tick Double strikethrough. This version works well when a single line feels too light or when you want deleted wording to stand out more in a dense draft.

The same box helps when the ribbon button feels hidden on a narrow screen. Laptops sometimes collapse groups on the ribbon, and the Font box still gives you the setting without any hunting around.

Use The Keyboard Route

If your hands are already on the keyboard, press Alt to show Word’s ribbon letters, then press H for Home. Word will show the next letters on screen for the commands in that tab, including Strikethrough. Once you’ve done it a few times, it feels natural and keeps your edit flow moving.

This route is handy during long revision sessions. You can select text, trigger the ribbon letters, add the line, and move on without breaking your typing rhythm. That may sound small, but over a long draft it cuts a lot of mouse travel.

Task	Do This	When It Helps
Strike one word	Select the word, then click Strikethrough on Home	Small edits inside a sentence
Strike a sentence	Select the full sentence, then use Strikethrough	Draft cleanup
Strike a paragraph	Select the paragraph, then apply the command once	Removed notes that still need to stay visible
Remove the line	Select the text and click Strikethrough again	Undoing a format choice
Add a double line	Open the Font box and tick Double strikethrough	Dense drafts where a single line is too light
Use only the keyboard	Press Alt, then H, then the on-screen letter for Strikethrough	Editing with no mouse
Keep the command nearby	Add Strikethrough to the Quick Access Toolbar	Repeated editing all day
Fix a hidden ribbon button	Open the Font box from Home	Small screens or tight ribbon layouts

Pick The Method That Matches Your Work

Microsoft’s strikethrough instructions list the direct ribbon path for both single and double lines. If you only need a clean mark across text, that page matches what most people do every day.

Keyboard users can lean on Word’s ribbon access keys. Pressing Alt reveals the letters for each tab and command, so you can stay off the mouse and still reach the same formatting tools.

If you use strikethrough a lot, add it to the Quick Access Toolbar. Then the button sits near the top of Word no matter which tab is open. That saves a few clicks every time you mark deleted wording.

• Use a single line for routine edits and crossed-off tasks.
• Use a double line when the page is busy and the mark needs to stand out.
• Use the Quick Access Toolbar if this format shows up in every file you touch.
• Use the keyboard route when you edit long drafts and don’t want to keep reaching for the mouse.

Single strikethrough is the everyday option. It reads like a neat cross-out and doesn’t pull too much attention away from the rest of the line. Double strikethrough is heavier. It works better when a document is full of notes, tracked marks, bold text, or underlines and the plain line starts to fade into the page.

Try to give each mark one job. Use strikethrough for removed wording. Use bold for emphasis. Use comments for side notes. When each format has a clear purpose, the page stays easier to scan and you spend less time cleaning up mixed styles later.

Why The Line Won’t Appear Or Won’t Go Away

Most strikethrough trouble comes from a small selection mistake or from mixed formatting that came in from pasted text. Start by clicking inside the text, then drag only the letters you want. If the whole paragraph changes when you meant to mark one word, you likely selected more than you thought.

What You See	Likely Cause	What To Try
No line appears	The text was not selected	Select the text first, then apply Strikethrough
The whole paragraph changes	You selected extra text	Undo, then select only the letters you want
The line looks too faint	Single strikethrough is active	Open the Font box and switch to Double strikethrough
The line stays after you click once	Double strikethrough or mixed formatting is still active	Open the Font box and clear both line settings
The button seems missing	The ribbon is compressed	Open the Font box or add the command to the Quick Access Toolbar
Pasted text behaves oddly	Old formatting came with it	Clear formatting, then apply Strikethrough again

If a stubborn line refuses to leave, open the Font box and look at both strikethrough settings. A lot of people turn off the ribbon button and miss that double strikethrough is still active in the deeper menu. Clearing both boxes usually fixes it in one pass.

Use Strikethrough Without Cluttering The Page

Strikethrough works well when you want readers to see what changed. It’s great for a shopping list, a study sheet, or a draft where one or two phrases need to stay visible for context. It gets messy when whole pages are crossed out. In that case, delete the text or move it to comments.

There’s one more split worth knowing. Manual strikethrough is plain formatting. Track Changes is an editing feature that records deletions and can show who made them. If you’re working alone, plain strikethrough is often enough. If several people are editing the same file, Track Changes usually keeps the page cleaner and the edit history clearer.

For steady day-to-day work, pick one method and stick with it. Most people do fine with the Home tab button. Heavy Word users often pin the command to the Quick Access Toolbar. Either way, once you’ve used it a few times, adding or removing that line takes only a moment.

A Faster Way To Finish The Edit

Putting a line through text in Word comes down to one simple move: select the text and apply Strikethrough. From there, you can remove it with the same button, switch to double strikethrough in the Font box, or keep the command close by on the Quick Access Toolbar.

That’s all you need for clean cross-outs that still leave the original wording readable. Open Word, mark a few words, turn the line off, and the steps usually stick after one short practice run.