How to Cross Out Text on Discord (Strikethrough)

The markdown method

Discord strikes text through with two tilde characters either side of the content. The tilde is usually found beside the 1 key or under the escape key, and on most layouts requires shift.

The syntax works inline, so you can strike a single word inside a sentence while leaving the rest normal. It also nests with other formatting: strikethrough combines with bold and italics, and the styles apply together.

There is a menu route as well. Selecting text in the message box brings up a formatting toolbar including a strikethrough option, which inserts the tildes for you. On mobile, the same option appears in the selection context menu, which is considerably easier than typing tildes on a phone keyboard.

One important limitation: markdown is only parsed in message bodies. Nicknames, usernames, channel names, channel topics, bios and statuses all display the raw tildes instead, which is the single most common source of confusion with this feature.

The unicode method for other fields

Where markdown does not work, unicode strikethrough does. Instead of relying on Discord to interpret formatting, it modifies the characters themselves by attaching a combining long stroke overlay to each one.

Because the strike is part of the text, it renders anywhere text renders - nicknames, bios, channel names, other websites, documents. This is what the generator on this site produces.

The cost is character count. Each visible character becomes two codepoints, so a 32 character Discord nickname holds roughly 16 characters of struck text. It also makes editing awkward, since backspace often removes only the combining mark and leaves the letter behind.

The rule of thumb is simple: inside a message, use markdown, because it is cleaner and does not double the length. Anywhere else, use unicode, because markdown will not work at all.

What strikethrough is good for

The most common legitimate use is showing a correction while leaving the original visible - striking an outdated price, date or decision and following it with the replacement. This communicates that something changed, which simply editing the text does not.

It is also widely used for comic effect, striking a blunt statement and following it with a diplomatic one. This works precisely because the struck text remains perfectly readable.

That readability is the key property to remember. Strikethrough is not redaction. The characters are unchanged underneath, so struck content is searchable, copyable and visible to bots exactly like any other text. Anything that genuinely needs hiding should use spoiler tags, and anything genuinely sensitive should not be posted at all.

In edited announcements and changelogs, striking removed items rather than deleting them gives readers a record of what changed, which is often more useful than a clean but opaque revision.

Tips for using how to cross out text on discord (strikethrough)

• Discord markdown works in most chat inputs, but formatting behaves differently in embeds, code blocks, channel topics and auto-mod messages - always verify in the exact place you plan to use it.
• Some formatting only renders in the client. Bots receive the raw markdown text via the API, so a bot reposting a formatted message may strip or double-render the styling.
• Server settings and client versions change behaviour over time. If a trick stops working, check whether the client updated or the server changed a permission that affects the feature.
• Test formatting in a private channel or a scratch server before applying it to an announcement channel with a large audience.

These tips apply no matter whether you are decorating a personal profile, organising a server or publishing a guide. The principle stays the same: start with clean, readable content, then add styling in small, reversible steps so your text keeps working everywhere it is pasted.

How to get started with how to cross out text on discord (strikethrough)

1. Read the rule, then test it. Each guide explains a feature with copy-pasteable examples. Run the example in a scratch channel first so you can see the rendered result before applying it anywhere important.
2. Check the message type. Confirm whether you are working in chat, an embed, a code block or a topic, because formatting rules differ. The guide notes these differences explicitly.
3. Keep a reference. Bookmark the guides you use most. Discord formatting is compact and easy to forget, and having the syntax one click away beats re-searching every time.

The whole workflow takes under a minute for most people. Because everything runs locally in the browser, there is no account to create, no upload step and no waiting for a server to respond. The results are plain text that you can paste anywhere and adjust later.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Using a single tilde instead of two. Discord requires two tildes either side; one does nothing and displays literally.
• Trying to strike through text in a nickname or channel name with markdown. Those fields do not parse markdown, so the tildes appear as raw characters.
• Forgetting that struck text is still fully readable and searchable. It is a visual effect, not a way to hide or redact anything.
• Applying strikethrough inside a code block and expecting it to render. Code blocks disable markdown entirely, so the tildes display as typed.

Frequently asked questions

How to Cross Out Text on Discord (Strikethrough) | key points to remember

How to Cross Out Text on Discord (Strikethrough) is part of a larger collection of free tools on this site. The related tools below cover adjacent topics, and everything runs directly in your browser - no accounts, no installs, no data leaving your device.

If a technique on this page does not behave as expected, the quickest fixes are: check the character limit of the field you are editing, make sure the text is not inside a code block, and preview it in the exact place where it will be used. Most rendering quirks come from one of those three sources, and most are resolved in seconds.

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