This article describes how to use the formatting bar in macOS Mail to add strikethrough text. This information is applicable to macOS Sierra (11) and macOS Big Sur (10.12).
Create Text Strikethrough on a Mac
In macOS Mail, you can add a text strikethrough to an email you send, forward, or reply to by selecting the text and then clicking the strikethrough formatting button. Strikethrough indicates to the recipient(s) that you have changed your mind about the content or that the information is no longer valid.
The strikethrough button is located above the main body of new emails and email replies in the Mail formatting bar. You can use the strikethrough button in the format bar to delete individual words, letters, or entire paragraphs.
- In the macOS Mail application, create a new email screen or a forward or reply-to screen. If the formatting bar is not already visible, click the A button in the top right corner of the message window. The formatting bar is centered above the message and contains controls for font, size, text color, and alignment, among other things.
- Verify that you’re in rich text mode by selecting Format in the Mail menu bar and then selecting Make Rich Text from the drop-down menu if it hasn’t been selected already. If the menu option Make Plain Text appears, the message is already in rich text mode. No additional action is required.
- In the email’s body, highlight the text you want to strike through.
- To strike through the highlighted text, click the S button (next to B, I, and U in the formatting bar).
That is all that is required. You can undo the strikethrough by clicking the same S button, or you can select additional words or letters to strikethrough in the same message.
Tip: If you strikethrough a word at the end of a sentence and then continue typing, the strikethrough may continue to your new text. To avoid this, toggle the S button off after using it to ensure that any new text is set without the strikethrough.