Easy Ways to Strikethrough Text on WhatsApp

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: April 24, 2025 Fact Checked

Do you want to show your friends your thought process for an especially strong point? You can use the strikethrough font format in a WhatsApp message to ~~cross out text~~, which is a great way to show emphasis when changing or correcting a message. To strikethrough text on WhatsApp, you'll just need to add a tilde (~) before and after the text you want to cross out. We'll walk you through this easy process on your Android, iPhone, or iPad.

Things You Should Know

Add a "~" to the beginning and end of your message to strikethrough it.
For Android, you can also tap to select the text to strikethrough, then tap the "three-dot menu > More (Android only) > Strikethrough".
For iOS, tap to select your text then tap "Select/Select All > B_I_U > Strikethrough".

Steps

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Tap the app that looks like a white telephone receiver on a light green background.
2
Tap CHATS. If you're using an iPhone or iPad, It's the 2 chat bubbles icon at the bottom of your screen.
- "Chats" is at the top of your screen if you're using an Android.
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This will open the chat you have with that person.
This is at the bottom of the screen. Tapping it will open up the keyboard.
5
Enter the text you want to strikethrough with "~" before and after it. The "~" is found by tapping the "123" (iOS) or "?123" (Android) button, then the "#+=" (iOS) or "=\<" (Android) button. Tap the tilde key (~).^{[1]
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Research source} On iPhones and iPads, it is the fourth button from the left on the third row (down from the top of the keyboard) of buttons. It's the first symbol on the keyboard for Androids.
- For example, if you type "How are you? ~Kenny said you don't feel well.~ I heard you aren't feeling well." You'll get "How are you? ~~Kenny said you don't feel well.~~ I heard you aren't feeling well."
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Tap the send arrow. The message will appear in the conversation history. The text will appear with a line through it without the "~" at either end of the section.
- On Android, you can also select the text you want to format, then tap ⋮ > Format > Strikethrough.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
- For iOS, select your text then tap Select/Select all > B_I_U > Strikethrough.

Community Q&A

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Question

What if I want a word to be ~surrounded~ by wavy dash without the strike through? Is it possible to remove the feature?

Community Answer

It is not possible to remove the feature, but you can add a space between the wavy dash and text to type something without the feature.

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Question

How to make this feature work outside of whatsApp for Android?

Darlene Antonelli

Community Answer

It depends on what app you're using. It's a feature in Google Docs, but not in Facebook Messenger.

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