Striking through text in Microsoft Outlook is a handy feature that can add clarity to your emails, whether you're indicating changes or simply having some fun with formatting. Let’s dive into how you can easily apply this effect and enhance your email communication.
To start, open Outlook and either create a new email or reply to an existing one. Once you’re in the message window, select the text you want to strikethrough. If there’s no text yet, don’t worry—clicking the strikethrough button first will ensure any future typing will have that line drawn through it.
Next, look for the 'Format Text' tab at the top of your screen; if you're using an older version of Outlook, it might just say 'Format.' In this tab, find the ‘strikethrough’ button—it looks like ‘ab’ with a line crossing through it. Click on that button and voilà! Your selected text now has a stylish strike-through effect.
If you'd prefer another method or need more control over your formatting options, try accessing the font dialog box directly. After selecting your desired text again, click on the small arrow located at the bottom-right corner of the basic text section on your message tab. This opens up additional font settings where you can check off 'Strikethrough' before clicking OK.
Interestingly enough, if you're someone who frequently uses strikethrough formatting but finds navigating menus tedious each time, there's good news! You can create a keyboard shortcut for even quicker access:
- Open Outlook and start composing an email.
- Press Ctrl + D to bring up the font dialog box.
- Hold down Ctrl + Alt while pressing '+' (the plus key from your number pad).
- Check off 'Strikethrough,' then assign it a custom shortcut by combining keys like Alt + Ctrl + K—whatever feels intuitive for you! This way, you'll be able to strike through without breaking stride as you type away.
Keep in mind that these features work best when composing emails in HTML or rich-text format; plain-text mode won’t allow any fancy effects like strikethroughs—and switching formats may remove existing ones too! While it's tempting to use strikingly formatted subject lines as well (pun intended), remember that strikethrough is only applicable within body content—not titles or subjects.
