Strikethrough Shortcut on Mac: How It Works in Every App
You highlight a word, press the keys you think should cross it out, and nothing happens. That mix-up trips up a lot of Mac users, and there is a simple reason for it: macOS does not hand out one single strikethrough shortcut that works the same way in every app.
This article covers the exact keys for each major app, why the keys change from one program to the next, and how to set up your own shortcut so it works everywhere you type. If shortcuts in general save you time, the full list of Mac keyboard shortcuts on this site is worth a look too.
Quick Answer
Most apps on a Mac use Command + Shift + X for strikethrough. This works in Slack, Notion (with a small twist noted below), Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Word and Outlook take a different path: Command + D opens the Font window, where you check the Strikethrough box. Apple’s own apps, such as Notes and Pages, do not turn on a strikethrough shortcut by default, though you can add one yourself in a few minutes.
If the shortcut you tried did nothing, check which app is open. That is almost always the reason.
Why People Use Strikethrough
Strikethrough shows up more than most people expect once they start looking for it. Writers use it to mark a line for removal without deleting it outright. Project managers cross off finished tasks in a shared document. Students strike out an old answer while keeping it visible for review. Because it shows up so often, a shortcut that does not work in the app you happen to be using can slow down a whole afternoon of writing or planning.
Strikethrough Shortcuts by App
Here is what to press in the apps people ask about the most:
- Microsoft Word (Mac): Command + D opens the Font window. Check the box next to “Strikethrough” and press Return. While you are in that Font window, it is also where you will find the subscript and superscript shortcuts in Word, since they follow the same pattern.
- Microsoft Excel (Mac): Command + Shift + X applies strikethrough to the selected cell right away, and it sits alongside a whole set of other Excel shortcuts worth learning for faster spreadsheet work.
- Google Docs: Command + Shift + X toggles strikethrough on the highlighted text.
- Google Sheets: Command + Shift + X does the same job inside a cell.
- Slack: Command + Shift + X strikes through text while you are typing a message.
- Notion: Command + Shift + S applies strikethrough. Notion uses S instead of X, and that small swap is the reason many people report the usual shortcut failing there.
- Apple Notes: No shortcut by default. Highlight the text, open Format, then Font, then Strikethrough, or set your own shortcut with the steps below.
- Apple Pages: No default shortcut either. Use the Format menu, or build a custom shortcut.
- Coda: Command + Shift + K, a third pattern that adds to the mix.
- Mail and TextEdit: Neither app supports strikethrough formatting, so no key combination will apply it here.
After testing this shortcut across a dozen Mac apps for this page, one pattern stood out: apps made by the same company do not always agree with each other either. Word and Excel, both from Microsoft, use two different methods on the same computer.
Why Isn’t There One Shortcut for the Whole Mac?
macOS lets each app decide its own keyboard shortcuts for text formatting. Apple keeps a short shared list that most apps follow, such as Command + B for bold and Command + I for italics. Strikethrough never made that shared list, so each company, Microsoft, Google, Slack, Notion, picked its own key combination on its own schedule. That history is why Word and Excel, two products from the same company, still do not match.
How to Set Your Own Strikethrough Shortcut
If an app does not come with a strikethrough shortcut, or you want one set of keys to work the same way everywhere, macOS lets you build it yourself through System Settings. This same System Settings method is also how you would set up a keyboard shortcut phrase on Mac, so the steps below are worth knowing beyond just strikethrough.
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Click Keyboard in the sidebar, then click Keyboard Shortcuts.
- Select App Shortcuts from the list on the left.
- Click the plus (+) button near the bottom of the window.
- Choose the app you want, for example Notes, from the Application menu.
- In the Menu Title field, type the wording the app uses for strikethrough, word for word. In Notes, this is “Strikethrough,” found under Format, then Font.
- Click in the Keyboard Shortcut field and press the key combination you want, such as Command + Shift + X.
- Click Done.
Repeat these steps for each app so the same keys apply no matter where you are writing.
Tip: Type the menu wording word for word as it appears in the app, including capital letters and punctuation. If the wording does not match the app’s own menu, the shortcut will not attach to the right command.
What to Do If the Shortcut Still Doesn’t Work
A handful of small things cause most strikethrough problems on Mac:
- You’re in the wrong app. Check the list above; the keys for Word will not do anything in Notes.
- No text is highlighted. Strikethrough only applies to selected text, not a whole line by default.
- Another app already claims that key combination. Some menu bar tools grab a shortcut first. Try a different combination in Keyboard Shortcuts if this happens.
- The menu title was typed wrong. Even one missing word or a wrong capital letter stops a custom shortcut from linking to the right menu command.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does macOS have a shortcut for strikethrough that works in every app?
No. Apple leaves strikethrough shortcuts up to each individual app, so there is no single combination already active across the whole system.
What is the strikethrough shortcut in Word for Mac?
Press Command + D to open the Font window, then check the Strikethrough box and press Return. Word for Mac does not offer a single-key toggle by default.
Can I make the same strikethrough shortcut work in every app?
Yes. Add it through System Settings, then Keyboard, then Keyboard Shortcuts, then App Shortcuts, following the steps above for each app you use.
Why does Notion use a different shortcut than Google Docs?
Each company sets its own shortcuts for its own product. Notion chose Command + Shift + S, while Google chose Command + Shift + X for Docs and Sheets.
Final Thoughts
The strikethrough shortcut on a Mac depends on which app is open, not on one fixed rule from Apple. Once you know which combination goes with which program, or you set up your own through Keyboard Shortcuts, crossing out a line takes a second instead of a search through several menus.
