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How to Remove Strikethrough from Completed Microsoft Planner Tasks

Nimra Malik Sep 29, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to remove the strikethrough formatting that is automatically applied to completed tasks.

How to Remove Strikethrough from Completed Microsoft Planner Tasks

Product: Microsoft Planner
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Viewing completed tasks on the plan board and attempting to change their default text formatting.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Planner automatically applies a strikethrough to completed tasks, and there is no built-in setting within the application to disable or remove this visual effect.

Before you start

Ensure you have the necessary permissions to view and export the Microsoft Planner board, and make sure you have a spreadsheet application like Microsoft Excel or WPS Spreadsheet installed on your device.

Solution 1Recommended

Export Tasks to a Spreadsheet to Remove Formatting

Since Planner lacks a native option to disable the strikethrough effect, exporting your plan to a spreadsheet format allows you to fully customize how your tasks are displayed.

Microsoft Planner applies a strikethrough to all completed tasks by design to visually separate them from active tasks. Because this cannot be turned off natively, the official workaround is to export your task list.

Open your Microsoft Planner board

Navigate to Microsoft Planner in your web browser and open the specific plan containing the completed tasks you want to modify.

Locate the export option

Click on the three dots (...) located at the top of the plan's header to open the 'More' menu.

Export the plan

Select 'Export plan to Excel' from the dropdown menu. This will download your entire task list as an .xlsx file.

Remove the strikethrough in a spreadsheet app

Open the downloaded .xlsx file in your preferred spreadsheet application. Highlight the completed tasks, right-click and choose 'Format Cells', then uncheck the 'Strikethrough' option under the Font tab.

Export Tasks to a Spreadsheet to Remove Formatting

Finding Export Options in Grid View: If you are viewing your tasks in Grid view and cannot find the export feature, make sure you are clicking the three dots in the main plan header at the top of the page, not the menu for an individual task.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Edit Exported Planner Files for Free with WPS Office

Since Microsoft Planner requires you to export tasks to customize their formatting, you can use WPS Office as a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative to Microsoft Excel to seamlessly view your tasks and remove unwanted strikethroughs.

1. Open Exported File: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the .xlsx file you exported from Microsoft Planner.
2. Select Completed Tasks: Highlight the cells containing the completed tasks that currently have the strikethrough formatting.
3. Remove Formatting: Right-click the selected cells, go to 'Format Cells', and uncheck the 'Strikethrough' box under the Font tab.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) files exported from PlannerLightweight installation and incredibly fast loading timesFamiliar spreadsheet interface makes it easy to remove text formatting instantlyFree alternative to costly Microsoft Office subscriptions

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off the strikethrough feature in Microsoft Planner settings?

No, Microsoft Planner currently does not offer a built-in toggle or setting to disable the strikethrough formatting for completed tasks. It is applied globally by default to distinguish completed items from pending ones.

Where exactly is the export to Excel option located?

The export option is found by clicking the three horizontal dots (...) at the very top of your plan's board next to the plan name. This opens the 'More' menu where 'Export plan to Excel' is listed.

Does the exported task list update automatically if I complete more tasks in Planner?

No, exporting your plan creates a static .xlsx snapshot of your board at that specific moment. Any new changes made in Microsoft Planner will not automatically sync to the downloaded file; you must export a new file to see the latest updates.

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