We often use emails to convey our messages, inform people about an event, or express our feelings. However, text alone often lacks the ability to adequately express some elements, including sarcasm. To overcome this deficiency, the strikethrough Gmail feature comes as a handy tool that assists in delivering the better essence of your text.

For instance, if you are explaining a change in plan on text, you can use strikethrough to cross out words or phrases. As many people use Gmail nowadays, this article will let you explore how you can use strikethrough in Gmail like a pro.

In this article
    1. Strikethrough Gmail Shortcut
  1. How to Strikethrough in Gmail on iOS App
  2. How to Strikethrough in Gmail on Android
    1. Step-by-Step Guide to Use Strikethrough Feature Through PDFelement

Part 1. How to Strikethrough in Gmail on a Computer

Gmail is among the most used platforms for formal and professional messages and informing about plans. Therefore, learning how to strikethrough in Gmail is better to use this feature for specific scenarios. Read this section to the end, with a step-by-step guide, to know how you can use strikethrough on your computer:

Step1

Start by accessing the Gmail login page and enter your credentials to sign in with your Gmail account. After that, click the “Compose” button to begin writing the new message that you want to send someone.

compose new message in gmail
Step2

Then, a new window will appear for writing the new message. There, enter the recipient's email address and the subject of your message. Afterward, enter the message you want to send in the text body.

type recipient email and message text
Step3

Now, select the part of the text that you want to strikethrough using Gmail. Once selected, click the “Strikethrough” icon from the Formatting toolbar below. By doing this, the text will instantly turn into a strikethrough text.

use strikethrough from toolbar in gmail

Strikethrough Gmail Shortcut

If you want to find a way to strikethrough any text without clicking its icon every time, you can use the strikethrough Gmail shortcut. Using this, all you need to do is press the relevant keys on your keyboard, and it will place a strikethrough on the selected text part. The keys for this shortcut are “Alt + Shift + 5” or “CMD + Shift + X.”

Part 2. How to Strikethrough in Gmail on iOS App

Unfortunately, there’s no direct feature available on iOS to use strikethrough Gmail text. You can only use the Bold, Italic, and Underline features when composing an email through the Gmail app. But you can compensate for this by getting help through the “Notes” built-in app of your iOS device. Follow the instructions below, including detailed steps to strikethrough text on iPhone or iPad:

Step1

Reach the home screen of your iOS device and locate the “Notes” app there. Then, tap on it to launch it for the strikethrough Gmail purpose.

launch notes application on iphone
Step2

Afterward, create a new note page and type the text you want to convert into strikethrough format. Once typed, select the required part and hit the “Strikethrough” icon from the given toolbar. The text will be successfully turned to strikethrough, which you can copy by selecting it.

use strikethrough in iphone notes app
Step3

Once you have copied the strikethrough text, close the “Notes” application and open “Gmail” where you want to use this text. In the “Compose” section, paste the copied text, and you will have the strikethrough Gmail text as you want.

paste copied strikethrough text in gmail

Part 3. How to Strikethrough in Gmail on Android

Like iOS, Android devices also don’t offer the ability to strikethrough Gmail text while composing an email. It provides a bit more features than iOS, i.e., you can even change the color schemes of text. However, you still need a third-party app to use the strikethrough feature. Just walk through this guide and follow the exact steps for this purpose:

Step1

First, search for the third-party app named “Strike Text” from the Play Store on your phone. Then, install it and run it when the installation is completed.

install strike text app on android
Step2

In the app interface, type the text that you want to strikethrough in the given “Input” box. It will automatically appear as a strikethrough text in the “Output” section. Afterward, simply tap the “Copy to clipboard” button, and the app will copy that strikethrough text to your clipboard for use as it is.

copy strikethrough text to clipboard
Step3

Now, open the Gmail app on your Android and access the “Compose” section to write an email to someone. There, paste the copied text from the clipboard, and it will be pasted as strikethrough Gmail text.

paste strikethrough text in android gmail

Bonus Part. Explore Strikethrough Usage in PDF

We have explained explicitly in the above sections to let you know how to strikethrough in Gmail app on different operating systems. Let's discuss utilizing the strikethrough format in PDF documents, which requires a professional PDF editor, such as Wondershare PDFelement.

pdfelement strikethough feature for pdfs

With this tool, you can edit PDF text and apply strikethrough formatting with customization options. This includes adjusting font size and color to suit your preferences. Moreover, you can even add comments to the text for further personalization.

Step-by-Step Guide to Use Strikethrough Feature Through PDFelement

Once you are aware of the amazing benefits of using strikethrough Gmail and want to extend its usage to PDF, this guide is for you. Using this PDF annotator, you can perform this function in various ways in PDF documents. This section will share one of the easiest ways to do this.

Step1Importing the PDF to PDFelement Interface

First of all, download PDFelement by pressing the “Free Download” button and install it on your system. Then, launch the application from its icon and wait for its interface to open. Click the "Open PDF" button or "+" to access your relevant PDF document through this tool by opening it.

open pdf on wondershare pdfelement
Step2Access the Strikeout Feature Through Comment

After opening the PDF, you will see various options in the toolbar above. Tap the “Comment” tab, which will lead you to some available features. From there, select “Strikeout” to use the strikethrough feature on any text on your PDF.

select strikeout feature from comment section
Step3Place Strikethrough on PDF Text

Now, select any part of the text that you want that you want strikethrough for through the cursor. It will automatically be turned into strikethrough text, which you can customize to some extent. For example, you can change the color of a strikethrough line or even add a comment on that text.

customize strikethrough settings in pdfelement

Conclusion

All in all, it's pretty a helpful technique to use strikethrough Gmail text while sending a message that needs to be expressive. This guide has explained the best ways for you to use this feature on various platforms. As a bonus, we have also favored you by discussing Wondershare PDFelement so you can use strikethrough text on PDFs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Strikethrough Gmail

The purpose of the frequently asked questions section is to provide you with more insights about strikethrough text in emails. So, go through this section to have a better understanding of some crucial points related to strikethrough Gmail.

  • Q1. Can I use Strikethrough in Gmail on an iPad?
    Just like we mentioned for the iPhone above, you can't use strikethrough text directly in the Gmail app using an iPad. However, you can use the “Notes” application on your device or some third-party apps from the App Store for this purpose.
  • Q2. What is the difference between strikethrough and underline format?
    Strikethrough format displays text with a line through the middle, indicating deletion or cancellation. It's often used to show that something has been crossed out or is no longer relevant. On the other hand, the underline format places a line beneath the text, typically used to emphasize or highlight specific content.
  • Q3. What is the significance of using strikethrough in PDF?
    Strikethrough in PDF documents serves to indicate changes or revisions made to the original content. It is commonly used to show deleted or outdated information while keeping it visible for reference. You can use the strikethrough feature on PDFs through PDFelement in a highly optimized way.
Audrey Goodwin
Audrey Goodwin Sep 23, 24
Share article:
12 years of talent acquired in the software industry working with large publishers. Public speaker and author of several eBooks on technical writing and editing.