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Fix Phone Numbers Showing Strikethrough in Microsoft Sway on Edge

Aamir Naveed Akram Sep 27, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users see a strikethrough line over plain text phone numbers when presenting a shared Microsoft Sway.

Fix Phone Numbers Showing Strikethrough in Microsoft Sway on Edge

Product: Microsoft Sway
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Presenting or viewing a shared Microsoft Sway document in a web browser, specifically Microsoft Edge.
Observed behavior: Phone numbers appear with strikethrough formatting for colleagues using Microsoft Edge, even though they were entered as plain text and appear normal in the author's editing view.

Before you start

Ensure you have the exact Microsoft Sway sharing URL ready and verify if this formatting glitch occurs for all viewers or just those using a specific web browser.

Solution 1Recommended

View the Microsoft Sway in an Alternative Web Browser

Identify if the rendering glitch is isolated to Microsoft Edge by testing the presentation link in Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

Web-based presentation tools like Microsoft Sway rely heavily on the browser's rendering engine. Sometimes, CSS elements or plain text are misinterpreted by specific browser versions.

Copy the Sway link

Locate and copy the URL of the affected Microsoft Sway presentation that was shared with your colleagues.

Open an alternative browser

Launch a different supported web browser on your device, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari.

Test the presentation

Paste the Sway URL into the address bar and press Enter. Navigate to the slide containing the phone numbers.

Check the formatting

Verify whether the phone numbers now display as normal plain text without the strikethrough lines.

View the Microsoft Sway in an Alternative Web Browser

Browser Compatibility: If the numbers display correctly in Chrome or Firefox, the issue is confirmed to be a rendering bug specific to your current version of Microsoft Edge.

Solution 2

Update or Reset Microsoft Edge

Since the issue is browser-specific, updating Edge to the newest version can resolve known text rendering bugs.

Solution 3

Document and Report to Microsoft Support

If the issue persists across different machines using Edge, gathering evidence and submitting a ticket will help Microsoft investigate the Sway rendering bug.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my numbers look normal when editing Sway but have a strikethrough when presenting?

This usually happens due to browser rendering differences. The author editing view and the presentation view use different CSS styles, and a bug in the presenting browser (like Microsoft Edge) might misinterpret plain text styling, inadvertently applying a strikethrough effect.

Can I remove the strikethrough by reformatting the text in Microsoft Sway?

You can try deleting the affected text block and recreating it from scratch as plain text. However, if the root cause is a specific Microsoft Edge rendering bug, reformatting inside Sway may not fix it until the browser itself is updated.

Does Microsoft Sway have a desktop application to avoid browser rendering issues?

Microsoft previously offered a dedicated Sway application for Windows 10, but it has been deprecated. Currently, Sway is only accessible via web browsers, making browser updates and cross-browser testing crucial for a seamless presentation experience.

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