Microsoft Word offers tons of text formatting options, including the strikethrough option. Typically used to narrate the author to clear a sentence out, you could strikethrough a word or sentence for many more reasons.
If you regularly use the formatting option, accessing it from the home tab can get quite bothersome over time. In this article, we will show you ways to use the strikethrough option with shortcuts in MS Word. Keep reading this article to save yourself some time using the strikethrough option!
How to Use Strikethrough Shortcuts in Microsoft Word?
Although there is no library shortcut to apply strikethrough to your texts in MS Word, there are plenty of ways around it.
We have gathered four ways you could use the strikethrough shortcut in MS Word. Among these methods, the last one will discuss how you can create a custom keyboard shortcut to apply strikethrough to your texts.
Ribbon Guide
The ribbon guide shortcut is the fastest way to apply the strikethrough format. In MS Word, the Alt key triggers the ribbon guide. After the ribbon guide is triggered, the H key activates the options available in the Home tab. The strikethrough option is labeled as 4, so you can apply the formatting option by hitting the 4 key on your keyboard.
Firstly, select the text you want to strikethrough on your document. To apply the strikethrough effect from the ribbon guide, use these keys in order:
ALT + H + 4
Font Window
This method is another way to use the strikethrough format with a keyboard shortcut. To use this method, you will first need to access the Font window. Then, you need to apply Strikethrough from the effects section of the window.
Select the text you wish to strikethrough from the document. Use the following shortcuts to apply strikethrough on your selected word or sentence on MS Word:
- Use Ctrl + D to open the Font window.
- Hit the shortcut Alt + K to select strikethrough.
- Press Enter.
Add to Quick Access Toolbar
You can add any option in the Quick Access Toolbar in MS Word. No matter which tab you have selected from the menu bar, the added options are always available in the top-left corner of your screen, above your document.
You can add the strikethrough option in the Quick Access Toolbar to use the tool no matter what tab you’re on. This method is better for users that often have difficulty remembering keyboard shortcuts.
Refer to the following steps to add strikethrough in the Quick Access Toolbar.
- Open MS Word.
- Head to the Home tab.
- Right-click the strikethrough option and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
- The strikethrough option will appear on the top-left corner of your window below the ribbon.
Create Custom Shortcut
Unlike other formatting options such as bold, italics, and underline, strikethrough does not have its own library shortcuts. Although you could apply the workarounds we’ve mentioned earlier in this article, you could also create a custom shortcut to apply the strikethrough format.
If you’re interested in creating your very own shortcut for the strikethrough format, follow these steps:
- Locate the Font section in the Home ribbon.
- Right-click on the strikethrough option.
- Select Customize the Ribbon.
- Click the Customize button on the bottom left corner next to Keyboard shortcuts.
- Under Categories, select Home Tab.
- Scroll down under commands to select Strikethrough.
- Enter a new shortcut under Press new shortcut key.
- Next to Save change in, make sure Normal.dotm is selected.
- Click Assign on the bottom left corner.
- Select OK on the Word Options window.
- Select the text you want to strikethrough in the doc and use the set shortcut to format the text.
