Strikethrough Red in Excel: Steps and Workarounds

To make strikethrough red in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the cell or text, press Ctrl+1, open the Font tab, choose red under Color, check Strikethrough, and select OK. Excel uses the font color for the strikethrough line too, so this makes both the text and line red. The standard formatting controls do not let you color only the line red while keeping the text a different color.

What You’ll Need

An Excel workbook you can edit. If you are trying this in a shared or protected workbook, you may need permission to change formatting.
A cell or range to format. You can also format only selected characters inside a cell if you want the rest of its text to look different.
A red font color choice. You can use a standard red or select a custom shade from the color palette.

Step-by-Step

Select the target cell or range. Click one cell to format its contents, or drag across a range if several cells need the same red strikethrough. To format just part of a cell’s text, double-click the cell or select it and press F2, then highlight the specific characters in the formula bar or cell. Make sure the text itself is selected before changing its font settings.
Open the Format Cells dialog. On Windows, press Ctrl+1. Alternatively, right-click the selection and choose Format Cells. In Excel for Mac, use Command+1 or choose Format Cells from the Format menu. The dialog gives you access to font effects and color in one place.
Choose the Font tab. The dialog may open on a different tab depending on what you used previously. Select Font at the top, then find the Font style, Size, Color, and Effects controls. Leave the font face and size unchanged unless you also intend to change them.
Set the font color to red. Open the Color dropdown and choose a red swatch. If the exact shade matters, use More Colors if it is available in your Excel version and select a custom color. A theme red may look different from a standard red, particularly when the workbook uses a custom theme.
Turn on Strikethrough. In the Effects area, check the box labeled Strikethrough. Do not confuse it with Superscript or Subscript; those change the position and size of characters rather than drawing a line through them.
Apply the formatting. Select OK. Excel returns to the sheet and displays the selected text in red with a red strike line. If you formatted a range, each cell’s text receives the effect. If you formatted only highlighted characters inside a cell, only those characters should change.
Check the result and adjust if necessary. Click another cell to exit editing and inspect the result. If the red is too bright or too dark, reopen Format Cells and choose a different shade. To undo the last formatting action immediately, use Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac.

You can also use the ribbon for a quick version of this task. Select the cell or characters, choose Home > Font Color and select red, then apply strikethrough from the Font group. If the strikethrough command is not visible, look for it in the expanded ribbon controls or use the Format Cells dialog instead. Applying font color and strikethrough separately is useful when you already know which color to use, but the dialog makes it easier to confirm both settings together.

For repeated, rule-based formatting, you may be able to use conditional formatting instead of changing cells one by one. Select the range, choose Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule, create the rule that matches your condition, then choose Format and set the font color to red and Strikethrough on the Font tab. This is useful for a status list where, for example, a completed item should appear crossed out. The rule applies its formatting when its condition is true; it does not permanently change the cell’s ordinary formatting.

Common Mistakes

Changing only the font color. Red text alone is not strikethrough. Check the Strikethrough effect as well. Likewise, checking Strikethrough without setting red may leave both the text and line in the original color.
Expecting the line to have an independent color. Excel’s regular font formatting ties the strike line to the text’s font color. If the characters must remain black and only the line must be red, the built-in Strikethrough effect will not produce that combination.
Formatting the whole cell when only a few characters should change. If the cell is selected normally, Excel formats all of its text. Enter edit mode and select the exact characters first when you need mixed formatting within one cell.
Choosing a theme shade that looks unlike the intended red. Theme colors can vary with the workbook’s theme. Check the visible result in the sheet, and use a standard or custom red if consistency matters.
Assuming the formatting changes the cell’s value. Strikethrough is visual formatting only. It does not delete text, mark a task complete in the data, or change calculations that refer to the cell.

Tips

Use the keyboard toggle for speed. With a cell or range selected, Ctrl+5 toggles strikethrough on Windows. It does not set the font color, so first choose red through Home > Font Color or Format Cells. On Mac, the shortcut is commonly Command+Shift+X; if it does not work with your keyboard layout or Excel settings, use the ribbon or Format Cells.
Apply one consistent shade. For a shared workbook or recurring report, choose the same red from the theme palette each time. A consistent color makes crossed-out items easier to scan and avoids slight differences created by choosing similar swatches.
Copy formatting when you need to repeat it. Once one cell looks right, use Home > Format Painter and apply the format to other cells. Format Painter copies other formatting too, such as font size or fill, so use it only when those other properties should match.
Keep the data’s meaning clear. Because strikethrough does not change a value, consider adding a separate status column if other people or formulas need to identify completed or obsolete entries. The red strike-through can then serve as a visual cue rather than the only record of status.
Use a shape only for a special visual requirement. A red line drawn over black text can imitate a red-only strike line, but it is an independent object, not text formatting. It may shift when rows or columns resize, so it is generally less reliable than the built-in effect.

Troubleshooting

The text turns red but there is no line. Reopen Format Cells, select the Font tab, and verify that Strikethrough is checked. If you use the ribbon, make sure you selected the actual strikethrough command rather than only the Font Color button. Check that the characters you meant to format are still selected.
The line is red but the text is not the shade you expected. The line follows the text’s font color. Choose another red in the Color dropdown and confirm the result in the worksheet. If the cell uses a theme color, changing the workbook theme can also affect how that shade appears.
Only some cells change. Check the original selection and repeat the operation on the full intended range. If a conditional formatting rule is involved, open Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules and check the rule’s Applies to range and condition. A rule may cover fewer cells than expected or be overridden by another formatting rule.
You cannot edit the formatting. The sheet may be protected, the workbook may be read-only, or your account may not have editing access. Check Review > Unprotect Sheet if you are authorized and have the password. For a shared or read-only file, request access or make an editable copy if permitted.
The shortcut does something different. Confirm that the worksheet has focus and that you are not typing in a cell. On Windows, Ctrl+1 opens Format Cells and Ctrl+5 toggles strikethrough. On Mac, use the corresponding Mac shortcuts or open Format Cells from the menus. Laptop function-key settings and keyboard layouts can affect some shortcuts.
The red line seems misaligned or disappears on screen. Zoom in and inspect the cell. If only part of the text has the effect, select that text again and apply the format. If a manually drawn line is being used, it may not move with the text; replace it with the built-in strikethrough when a normal text-colored line is acceptable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make only the strikethrough line red and leave the text black?
No, not with Excel’s standard font effects. The line takes the font color of the struck-through text. A drawn line or other visual overlay can approximate the look, but it is separate from the text and may need repositioning when the sheet changes.

Does red strikethrough delete or exclude a value?
No. It changes how the text looks, not the cell’s contents. The value remains available to formulas and other workbook features. Delete the value or change related status data separately if that is what you need.

Can I apply red strikethrough to several cells at once?
Yes. Select all the target cells, open Format Cells, set red as the font color, check Strikethrough, and select OK. The formatting applies to the selected cells, although any existing cell-specific formats you replace may also change.

Can conditional formatting apply red strikethrough?
Yes, in desktop Excel you can set a conditional formatting rule and use its Format options to choose a red font color and Strikethrough. The style appears when the rule’s condition is met. Confirm the rule range and any competing rules if some cells do not display the effect.

How do I remove red strikethrough?
Select the affected cells or text, open Format Cells > Font, clear Strikethrough, and choose the font color you want to restore. If the formatting came from a conditional formatting rule, edit or remove that rule instead; changing ordinary font settings may not override an active rule.

Does this work in Excel for the web?
Excel for the web includes font color and strikethrough formatting for cells. Select the cells, choose red from the Home tab’s Font Color control, and use the strikethrough control in the Font group. If the ribbon is compressed and a control is hidden, expand the ribbon or use the desktop app for the full Format Cells dialog and character-level formatting options.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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