How to Strikethrough in Slack: Shortcut, Tildes and Mobile

To strikethrough text in Slack, select it and press Cmd+Shift+X on a Mac or Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows and Linux. You can also type one tilde on each side of the words, like ~no longer true~, and Slack crosses them out. The Strikethrough button in the formatting toolbar does the same. On iPhone and Android, select the text, tap Aa, and choose strikethrough. It works the same in channels, direct messages, group DMs and threads.

We build Slack Green, which keeps your Slack status green from our servers during the hours you set. We also make a free Slack message formatter that previews strikethrough, bold and lists the way Slack shows them.

Four ways to cross out text in Slack

With the shortcut. Type your message, select the words, and press Cmd+Shift+X or Ctrl+Shift+X. Press it again on the same text to remove the line. The shortcut is in Slack's own list, next to Cmd+B for bold and Cmd+I for italic.

With tildes. Type a tilde, the words, and a tilde, with no spaces between the tildes and the words. Slack's help center lists ~your text~ as the markup for strikethrough. On a US keyboard the tilde is Shift plus the key left of 1. On an iPhone it is on the symbols page (tap 123, then #+=). On Android with Gboard, tap ?123 and look on the second symbols page.

With the toolbar. The formatting toolbar under the message field has a Strikethrough button between Underline and Code. If you do not see the toolbar, click the formatting icon (Aa) in the message field, or check whether you turned on markup in Preferences, Advanced.

How to cross out text on iPhone and Android

• Type your message in the Slack app.
• Select the words: double-tap a word, then drag the handles.
• Tap Aa above the keyboard to show the formatting options.
• Tap strikethrough, then send.

Typing tildes works on mobile too, if you find typing faster than tapping.

When to use strikethrough in Slack

Strikethrough is useful when the old text still matters:

• Corrections that people should notice. "The review is at ~3 pm~ 4 pm." Editing the time silently can confuse someone who already read the first version, because Slack only adds a small (edited) label. More on that in does Slack show edited messages.

• Checklists in a message. Cross out tasks as you finish them in a pinned message or a standup thread.

• Changed plans. "Lunch at the ~Thai place~ pizza place" keeps the joke and the change.

• Softer edits. A crossed-out word can be a light joke, the way people do in chat.

For a long checklist that many people update, a Slack list or canvas is a better tool. See Slack canvas vs lists.

Slack strikethrough not working

• Two tildes. GitHub markdown uses two tildes on each side. Slack uses one. Two can leave stray tildes in the message.

• Spaces inside the tildes. ~ done ~ stays plain text. The tilde has to touch the first and last letter.

• Tildes inside a word. Slack formats at word edges. Crossing out half a word does not work with tildes; use the shortcut on the selection instead.

• Markup preference on. With Format messages with markup turned on, you see the tildes while typing, and the line appears only after you send.

• Inside a code block. Text in inline code or a code block is shown as typed, tildes included. See how to make a code block in Slack.

If you paste a markdown document with two-tilde strikethrough, run it through the Markdown to Slack converter first; it rewrites the markup for Slack.

Strikethrough in Slack bot and API messages

In a message sent through the API or an incoming webhook, one tilde on each side works in any text that Slack reads as mrkdwn:

{
  "text": "Deploy checklist: ~run migrations~ ~build~ smoke test"
}

In Block Kit rich text, set the strike style on a text element:

{
  "type": "rich_text",
  "elements": [
    {
      "type": "rich_text_section",
      "elements": [
        { "type": "text", "text": "old price", "style": { "strike": true } },
        { "type": "text", "text": " new price" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

A plain_text object never formats, so tildes show as they are. Bold, italic and the rest of the formatting keys are in how to bold text in Slack and our Slack keyboard shortcuts guide.

If the Strikethrough button is not there at all, see Slack formatting toolbar missing.

FAQ

What is the strikethrough shortcut in Slack? Cmd+Shift+X on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows and Linux.

How do I strikethrough in a Slack direct message? The same way as in a channel: select the text and press Cmd+Shift+X, or type one tilde on each side.

How do I remove strikethrough in Slack? Select the crossed-out text and press the shortcut again, or click the Strikethrough button.

Can I strikethrough a message I already sent? Yes. Edit the message, select the words, press the shortcut, and save.

Does Slack use one or two tildes for strikethrough? One on each side. Two is the GitHub markdown habit.