How to strikethrough text in Excel

Excel is a powerful tool that can help manage and analyze large amounts of data. One useful function in Excel is the ability to strikethrough text in a cell. This function can be helpful for highlighting important information or indicating a completed action.

In this article, we will show you how to strikethrough text in Excel quickly and easily. We will also provide some practical examples of how you can use this function to improve your productivity.

• How to strikethrough text in Excel
• Practical examples

Step 1: Select the text to strikethrough

The first step to strikethrough text in Excel is to select it. Here's how:

• Open the worksheet where the text you want to strikethrough is located.
• Click and drag the mouse cursor over the text you want to strikethrough. The selected text will be highlighted.

If you want to select multiple rows or columns, hold down the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard while clicking and dragging the mouse cursor over the data to select it.

Note that you can also use the "Find and Replace" function to locate and strikethrough specific words or phrases within your worksheet.

Step 2: Access the "Home" tab and select the "Strikethrough" option

After selecting the text you want to strikethrough, you need to access the "Home" tab. This tab is located at the top of the Excel window.

Once on the "Home" tab, look for the "Font" group located on the right side of the tab. Within the "Font" group, there will be an icon with a crossed-out S. This is the "Strikethrough" button. Click on this button to strikethrough the selected text.

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut "CTRL + 5" to strikethrough selected text without having to access the "Home" tab.

• Example:
• Suppose we have a table where we want to strikethrough employees' names who have already completed a certain training course. We select the employee's name and go to the "Home" tab. We find the "Font" group and click on the icon with a crossed-out S to strikethrough the employee's name.

Step 3: Customize the style of strikethrough

After selecting and applying formatting to strikethrough text, you can customize its style to make it more suitable for your needs.

1. Change the color of strikethrough

To change the color of strikethrough, right-click on the strikethrough text and select "Format Cells" from the dropdown menu.

In the dialog box that opens, select the "Borders" tab. Here you can choose a different color for the border by selecting one of the predefined colors or clicking on "More Colors" to select a custom one.

2. Modify the thickness of the border

To modify the thickness of the border, go back to the "Borders" tab in the "Format Cells" dialog box. Here, you can choose from a range of predefined options for border thickness or specify a custom one.

3. Select the type of line for the border

The line type for the border can also be customized. Go back to the "Borders" tab once again and select a line type from the drop-down list of predefined options or create a custom line type.

4. Apply an effect to the border

To apply an effect to the border, go back to the "Borders" tab and select the desired option from the drop-down list of predefined effects. Available effects include shading, gradients, and patterns.

5. Save the border style

Once you've customized your border, you can save it as a predefined border style for future use. To do so, click on "New" in the "Format Cells" dialog box, give your border style a name, and select your desired options for color, thickness, line type, and effect.

After saving your border style, you'll be able to quickly apply it to any bordered text by simply selecting the text and choosing the style from the formatting options drop-down menu.

How to remove borders from text in Excel

If you need to remove borders from text in Excel, there are several solutions you can adopt. Here are some options:

Option 1: Use the "Replace" function

The first option is to use Excel's "Replace" function to remove borders from text. Follow these steps:

1. Select the cell or cells containing the text with the border you want to remove.
2. Click on the "Home" tab in Excel's ribbon.
3. Click on the "Find & Replace" button in the "Editing" section.
4. In the "Find and Replace" dialog box, type the border character ("/") in the "Find what" box. Leave the "Replace with" box empty.
5. Click on "Replace All". The border will be removed from all occurrences of the selected text.

Note: If you only want to remove some of the borders from your text instead of all of them, use the "Replace" function without clicking on "Replace All". This way, you can choose which borders to replace and which ones to leave intact.

Option 2: Use a formula

Another option is to use a formula to remove borders from text. Follow these steps:

1. Create a new column next to the column containing the text with the border you want to remove.
2. In the cell of the new column corresponding to the first row of data, type this formula: =SUBSTITUTE(A1,"/","") where A1 is the cell containing the text with the border you want to remove.
3. Copy this formula into all other cells in this new column corresponding to your data.

Option 3: Use an add-on or extension

Finally, you can use an Excel add-on or extension to remove the slash from text. For example, the "Power Tools" add-on contains a function called "Clean", which can be used to remove unwanted characters from text. Here's how to use it:

1. Install the "Power Tools" add-on in Excel.
2. Select the cell(s) containing the text with the slash to be removed.
3. Click on the "Power Tools" tab in Excel's ribbon.
4. Click on the "Clean" button in the "Text" section.
5. In the "Clean" dialog box, select the "Remove character(s)" option and type the slash character ("/") in the text box below. Click "OK".

Note: Using an add-on or extension may take a bit more time for installation and setup, but it could be helpful if you need to perform this operation frequently.

Conclusion

Removing slashes from text in Excel is a very simple operation that can be performed in several ways. Choose what seems most suitable for your needs and use these techniques to save time and avoid errors in your data analysis.