How to Strikethrough Text on Any App
Crossing out text is one of those small jobs that works differently everywhere. Some apps have a keyboard shortcut, some want you to type squiggles around the word, and a surprising number, including Instagram and X, give you no way to do it at all. This guide covers the lot: the built-in method for every major app that has one, and what to do on the apps that don't.
The quick answer
If the app supports formatting, use its native method from the table below. If it doesn't (bios, usernames, Instagram captions, plain text fields), paste in Unicode strikethrough from our strikethrough text generator instead. Unicode strikethrough is not formatting, it is part of the text itself, so it survives copy and paste anywhere text does.
Native strikethrough, app by app
| App | How to strikethrough |
|---|---|
| Discord | Wrap the text in double tildes: ~~like this~~ |
Wrap it in single tildes: ~like this~ | |
| Slack | Single tildes again: ~like this~ |
Double tildes in markdown: ~~like this~~ | |
| YouTube comments | Wrap it in hyphens: -like this- |
| Google Docs | Select the text, then Alt+Shift+5 on Windows or Cmd+Shift+X on Mac |
| Microsoft Word | Select the text and click the ab strikethrough button on the Home ribbon |
| Excel | Select the cell and press Ctrl+5 |
| Notion | Select the text, then Ctrl+Shift+S (Cmd+Shift+S on Mac) |
Worth knowing: the tilde tricks are markdown shorthand, and they only render after you send the message. While you are typing, Discord and WhatsApp just show the tildes.
Apps with no strikethrough at all
Instagram captions and bios, X posts, TikTok, Facebook posts, iMessage, and most username or bio fields have no formatting support of any kind. Tildes will just sit there as tildes.
The workaround is Unicode. Instead of formatting the text, you combine each letter with a special "combining long stroke" character (U+0336) that fonts draw through the letter. The line becomes part of the text itself. That is what our strikethrough generator does: type your text, and it hands back single, double, and slash-through versions you can paste into any text field on any platform. It runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Two honest caveats about Unicode strikethrough
First, rendering varies. Most modern fonts draw combining strokes cleanly, but a few older ones misplace the line or show it broken. It usually looks right, but not universally.
Second, accessibility. Screen readers can stumble over combining characters, reading them out oddly or skipping words. For anything where accessibility matters, prefer the platform's native strikethrough when it exists, and keep Unicode strikethrough for short decorative touches rather than long passages.
Why strikethrough at all?
Beyond crossed-off to-do items, it is mostly used for the joke-correction ("meeting went terribly fine"), showing edits transparently, marking prices down, and general sarcasm. It reads as "I said this, then thought better of it", which turns out to be useful in a lot of sentences.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cross out text on Discord?
Type two tildes on each side: ~~your text~~. It renders as strikethrough once the message is sent.
How do I strikethrough in an Instagram bio or caption?
Instagram has no formatting support, so use Unicode: paste your text into the strikethrough generator, copy the result, and paste it into Instagram.
Why do my tildes just show as tildes?
Either the app does not support markdown (use Unicode instead), or the message has not been sent yet. Markdown renders on send, not while typing.
Does Unicode strikethrough work everywhere?
It pastes anywhere text does, and it displays correctly in most modern fonts. A small number of older fonts draw the line imperfectly, and screen readers can find it awkward, so keep it short where accessibility matters.
Related tools
The strikethrough text generator does the Unicode work for you. For other styles that survive copy and paste, try the small text generator, the big text generator, or the invisible text generator. Or see every transformation at once.