Mastering Strikethrough in Word

In the realm of document editing, Microsoft Word offers a plethora of formatting options designed to enhance clarity, convey specific meanings, and streamline collaboration. Among these, the 'strikethrough' effect stands out as a particularly useful, albeit sometimes overlooked, tool. Whether you're collaborating on a document, tracking changes, or simply need to indicate that certain text is no longer relevant but should be retained for context, mastering the strikethrough feature is an invaluable skill. This article will delve into the various methods for applying and removing strikethrough formatting in Word, exploring its practical applications and providing clear, step-by-step guidance.

Why Use Strikethrough?

The question might arise: why bother with strikethrough when you can simply delete text? The answer lies in the nuanced communication that this formatting provides.

• Collaboration and Revision: When working with others, particularly using Word's 'Track Changes' feature, deleted text often appears as strikethrough, typically in red. This visual cue clearly indicates what has been removed, allowing collaborators to review, accept, or reject changes. However, even without 'Track Changes,' strikethrough serves a similar purpose, signalling to readers that specific words or phrases are intended for removal but are being kept for reference.
• Contextual Clarity: In educational settings, such as language tutoring, strikethrough is invaluable. It allows students to see their errors marked clearly, alongside the corrections, without losing the original text. This aids in the learning process by providing immediate feedback and a clear record of progress.
• Indicating a Change of Mind: Authors might use strikethrough to show an evolution in their thinking within a draft. It’s a way to mark a discarded idea without erasing it entirely, preserving the thought process.
• Humour or Emphasis: On occasion, strikethrough can even be used for stylistic or humorous effect, though this should be done judiciously to maintain professionalism.

It's important to note that Word distinguishes between a single strikethrough and a double strikethrough. While the standard strikethrough applies a single line through the text, the double strikethrough uses two parallel lines, offering a more prominent visual indicator.

Applying Strikethrough Formatting

Microsoft Word provides several straightforward methods to apply this formatting:

Method 1: Using the Strikethrough Command on the Ribbon

This is the most direct and commonly used method:

1. Select the Text: First, highlight the text you wish to format. You can click and drag your mouse, or for precise selection, click at the beginning of the text and then Shift-click at the end. To select multiple, non-contiguous words, select the first word, then hold down the Ctrl key while selecting additional words. Be careful not to accidentally deselect by releasing Ctrl too early.
2. Access the Font Group: Navigate to the Home tab on Word's ribbon.
3. Click the Strikethrough Button: Within the 'Font' group, you'll find an icon representing strikethrough – typically depicted as the letters 'abc' with a line through them. Clicking this button will immediately apply the strikethrough formatting to your selected text.

Method 2: Using the Font Dialog Box

This method offers access to both single and double strikethrough:

1. Select the Text: As before, highlight the desired text.
2. Open the Font Dialog Box: You can do this in two ways:
   • Press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + D.
   • Click the small arrow icon (dialog box launcher) located at the bottom-right corner of the 'Font' group on the Home tab.
3. Choose Strikethrough Option: In the 'Font' dialog box that appears, look under the 'Effects' section. You will see checkboxes for 'Strikethrough' and 'Double strikethrough'. Select the option that suits your needs.
4. Confirm: Click 'OK' to apply the chosen formatting.

Creating a Custom Keyboard Shortcut

For those who frequently use strikethrough, creating a custom shortcut can significantly speed up the workflow. Since Word doesn't have a built-in shortcut for strikethrough, you can assign one:

1. Open the Font Dialog Box: Follow the steps above to open the 'Font' dialog box (Ctrl + D or the launcher arrow).
2. Access Keyboard Customization: Click the 'Keyboard shortcuts...' button, usually found at the bottom of the Font dialog box.
3. Assign the Shortcut:
   • In the 'Customize Keyboard' window, ensure 'All Commands' is selected in the 'Categories' list.
   • Scroll down in the 'Commands' list to find 'Strikethrough'.
   • Click inside the 'Press new shortcut key' box.
   • Press the key combination you wish to assign (e.g., Ctrl + Alt + -). Word will indicate if the shortcut is already in use. Choose a combination that is not commonly assigned to another function.
   • Click the Assign button.
4. Close and Test: Click 'Close' on the Customize Keyboard window and then 'OK' on the Font dialog box. You can now test your new shortcut.

Removing Strikethrough Formatting

Removing strikethrough is just as simple as applying it:

1. Select the Text: Highlight the text that has the strikethrough formatting applied.
2. Apply Strikethrough Again:
   • Method 1 (Ribbon): Go to the Home tab, and in the 'Font' group, click the Strikethrough button again. If the text was already struck through, clicking it again will remove the formatting.
   • Method 2 (Font Dialog Box): Open the Font dialog box (Ctrl + D), uncheck the 'Strikethrough' (or 'Double strikethrough') box in the 'Effects' section, and click 'OK'.

Important Note: If you select a block of text containing both struck-through and non-struck-through content, clicking the strikethrough button once will apply strikethrough to the entire selection. To remove it from only the parts that were already struck through, you might need to select those specific parts or use the Font dialog box to toggle the effect off.

Understanding Word's Strikethrough Types

As mentioned, Word supports two types of strikethrough:

When to Use Strikethrough vs. Track Changes

While both methods indicate text removal, they serve different primary purposes:

• Track Changes: This is a dedicated collaboration tool. It logs every insertion, deletion, and formatting change, often displaying deletions as strikethrough in a specific colour. It's ideal for formal review processes where accountability and a detailed history of edits are crucial.
• Strikethrough Formatting: This is a direct formatting choice. It's useful for indicating proposed deletions, marking outdated information, or for pedagogical purposes where the visual cue is sufficient without the overhead of a full revision tracking system. It's often used when 'Track Changes' is either not necessary or not feasible (e.g., sharing with users of different software).

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue: Strikethrough not appearing on selected text after clicking the button.

Possible Cause: You may have selected text that includes the trailing space after the last word. Word sometimes applies formatting to this space.

Solution: Try re-selecting the text more precisely, ensuring you only highlight the characters themselves, not any trailing space. Alternatively, use the 'Shift' key method for precise selection.

Issue: Clicking the strikethrough button adds it, but doesn't remove it.

Possible Cause: This can happen if the selection includes text where strikethrough was applied differently (e.g., a mix of single and double strikethrough, or text formatted via 'Track Changes').

Solution: Use the Font dialog box (Ctrl + D). Ensure the 'Strikethrough' or 'Double strikethrough' box is unchecked for the selected text. If there's a mix, you might need to apply the removal to different parts of the selection individually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Can I apply strikethrough to text that is already bold or italic?

A1: Yes, strikethrough can be combined with other text formatting like bold, italics, and underlining. You can access these combinations through the Font dialog box.

Q2: Is there a way to make strikethrough text a different colour?

A2: Yes. Apply the strikethrough formatting first. Then, with the text still selected, use the Font Color option on the Home tab to change the text colour. The strikethrough line will generally adopt the same colour as the text.

Q3: What's the difference between strikethrough and using a border?

A3: Strikethrough applies a line directly through the text characters. Borders are applied around paragraphs or text boxes and are typically used for visual separation or emphasis, not for indicating deletion.

Q4: Does strikethrough work in all versions of Word?

A4: The core strikethrough functionality has been a standard feature in Microsoft Word for many years, across most modern versions (Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Microsoft 365). The exact appearance or shortcut availability might vary slightly between older and newer versions.

Conclusion

The strikethrough feature in Microsoft Word is a versatile tool for indicating removed or obsolete text, facilitating collaboration, and providing clear visual cues within documents. Whether you prefer the quick access of the ribbon, the detailed options of the Font dialog box, or the efficiency of a custom keyboard shortcut, mastering these methods will undoubtedly enhance your document editing capabilities. By understanding when and how to effectively use strikethrough, you can communicate more clearly and manage your documents with greater precision.