Adding the Strikeout (Strikethrough) button to the Formatting Toolbar in Word 2000/2002/XP

Here is yet another Wambooli dispatch prompted by a reader's letter! Reader Ralph wrote to say:

Hi Dan,

When I'm editing a document in Word, can I manually activate strikethrough (doublestroke)? Can't find the answer in "Word for Dummies."

Alas, there is no specific keystroke for the Strikethrough or Double Strikethrough command. There is for most other text formatting in Word, but not for those two.

Now both commands are covered in the book, specifically in the chapter that deals with formatting text. You can apply any text style by using the Font dialog box; choose FormatFont or press Ctrl+D to bring it up:

You can then choose either Strikethrough or Double Strikethrough from the list of "Effects" near the lower middle of the dialog box.

I use strikethrough quite a bit in my stuff. My publisher wants all monospaced text to appear in strikethrough. So because there is no key strikethrough key combination, I've added a Strikethrough button to my formatting toolbar to make it easier. Here's how:

Choose ToolsCustomize.

The Customize Dialog box appears

Click the Commands tab.

The dialog box displays a list of all the various commands in Word. They're organized by category (or menu) in the scrolling list on the left and then individual commands in the scrolling list on the right.

Choose Format from the scrolling list on the left.

Scroll through the list on the right to choose "Strikethrough."

Or you can choose any command in the list; I've customized my writing computer's version of Word with all sorts of buttons on the formatting toolbar.

Now the tricky part:

Drag the Strikethrough icon from the Customize dialog box and up to the Formatting toolbar.

As you hover the mouse over the Formatting toolbar, you'll see an I or "insertion pointer" appear. That shows you where the new button will go. I put mine right after the U for underline.

Release the mouse button to drop the new Strikethrough toolbar button onto the Formatting toolbar.

Now you can use that button, just as you do , and , to apply formatting to your text.

Or repeat these steps to add more specific formatting buttons to your toolbar.