Unlock the Strikethrough Shortcut That Tech Gurus Swear By!

If you’re a fast-paced tech professional or a power user, speed is everything—and nothing speeds up editing like a sharp keyboard shortcut. One often-overlooked but game-changing tool is the strikethrough shortcut, a simple evergreen trick that tech experts swear by to efficiently mark tasks, note changes, and enhance productivity.

In this article, we’ll dive deep into the quickest way to enable and use the strikethrough text shortcut, explore how tech pros leverage it in daily workflows, and share tips to master this eyeget-taking keyboard shortcut. Whether you’re editing code, drafting emails, or updating project management tools, mastering this strikethrough shortcut can transform how you work.

Understanding the Context


What Is the Strikethrough Shortcut and Why Tech Gurus Love It

The strikethrough text effect visually marks content as deleted, canceled, or outdated—ideal for tracking edits, confirming task completion, or maintaining clean documentation. Most modern text editors, email clients, and command-line interfaces support this through a simple shortcut, which top tech professionals rely on to streamline workflows and keep interfaces tidier.

Unlike manual formatting, using the strikethrough shortcut saves precious seconds and reduces distractions, letting you focus on meaningful tasks. Developers, engineers, and content creators specifically benefit by quickly noting critical changes without interrupting their flow.

Key Insights


How to Enable the Strikethrough Shortcut (Cross-Platform)

Most operating systems and applications support keyboard shortcuts for strikethrough, though they vary slightly between platforms:

On Windows
- Enable via Settings:
1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard
2. Under Strikethrough shortcut, press your preferred key combo (often Ctrl + K or Alt + Shift + K—a customizable default).
3. Save changes and activate globally across supported apps.

On macOS
- Set via Keyboard Preferences:
1. Go to System Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard
2. Under Shortcuts > Editor Shortcuts, add or assign your desired combination (default is often Cmd + K).
3. Ensure the Strikethrough checkbox is enabled to activate the effect.

Final Thoughts

In Text Editors (VS Code, Sublime, Notepad++, etc.)
Most code editors have native strikethrough support—enable via editor settings or keyboard preferences:
- VS Code: Uses Ctrl + K (or Cmd + K macOS) by default. Customize via keybindings.json.
- Sublime Text: Enable via Preferences > Key BindingsCtrl + K or add Kbd.\"Ctrl+K\"\" to your shortcuts file.
- Notepad++: Enable under Encoding > Font SettingsStrikethrough icon and ensure the shortcut Ctrl+K/F is enabled.


Pro Tips for Tech Pros Using Strikethrough Daily

Here’s how top tech gurus optimize the strikethrough shortcut:

  1. Automate Task Validation:
    Cross-reference tasks with checklists—apply strikethrough instantly when items are complete to keep progress clean and visible.

  2. Comment in Code:
    Use strikethrough sparingly to flag deprecated functions or obsolete variables—boost readability without clutter.

  1. Clean Document Communication:
    In shared docs or code reviews, strikethrough signals edits clearly, avoiding lengthy reworded explanations.

  2. Customize Shortcuts for Speed:
    Assign the shortest, least-used key combo (often Ctrl or Cmd + another) to make the strikethrough action nearly subconscious.


Final Thoughts