Instagram · Bio · Captions · Comments
Strikethrough Text on Instagram
Updated: May 2026
Instagram does not have a built-in text formatting panel in its composer — no bold, no italic, no strikethrough buttons. Yet thousands of accounts display beautifully styled text in their bios and captions every day, using Unicode special characters that Instagram stores and renders as-is.
Free · Works in bio, captions, comments · No app required
Why Instagram renders strikethrough text
Instagram stores profile bios and post captions as plain Unicode strings. It does not sanitize or strip Unicode combining characters before saving or displaying them. When you paste text that contains U+0336 (the combining long stroke overlay character), Instagram stores those code points verbatim and its rendering engine — backed by iOS's CoreText or Android's HarfBuzz — draws the strikethrough line as intended by the Unicode standard.
This is not a hack or exploit. It is Unicode working exactly as designed: any text renderer that is Unicode-compliant will render combining characters correctly. Instagram, like every other major mobile app, is Unicode-compliant.
How to add strikethrough to your Instagram bio
- Open the strikethrough text generator on your phone or computer browser.
- Type or paste the text you want struck — for example, the part of your bio you want to appear crossed out.
- Choose your style: single line, double line, or slash-through.
- Tap or click Copy.
- Open Instagram → Profile → Edit Profile → Bio.
- Place your cursor where you want the struck text, then paste (long-press → Paste on mobile, Ctrl+V or Cmd+V on desktop).
- Tap Done to save.
The bio field supports up to 150 characters. Keep in mind that each combining character is counted separately, so a 10-letter struck word uses 20 characters of the limit. Plan your bio layout accordingly.
Strikethrough in Instagram captions
The same copy-paste process works for post captions. Type your full caption in a notes app or the generator's input area, apply strikethrough to the words or phrases you want struck, copy the result, and paste it into the Instagram caption field when composing a post.
Caption strikethrough is popular for:
- Showing before/after comparisons: "s̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ back in stock"
- Humor and self-correction in captions
- Price comparison posts: "was $120, now $69"
- Editing announcements: "event is c̶a̶n̶c̶e̶l̶l̶e̶d̶ rescheduled"
- Ironic crossed-out text for comedic effect
Strikethrough in Instagram comments
The same Unicode text works in Instagram comments. Generate your struck text, copy it, navigate to the post where you want to comment, tap the comment field, paste the text, and submit. Other users viewing the comment on iOS, Android, or the Instagram web app will all see the strikethrough rendered correctly.
Strikethrough in Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories have a native text overlay feature with some styling options (font selection, color picker) but no built-in strikethrough button. To use struck text in a story: generate the text, copy it, open the Stories camera, tap the text tool, and paste. The text overlay will render the Unicode combining characters correctly in the story preview and in the published story viewed by followers.
Note that some Instagram story fonts render combining characters better than others. The "Classic" font (the default sans-serif) tends to render U+0336 most cleanly at typical story text sizes.
What Instagram username strikethrough looks like
Instagram usernames are restricted to letters, numbers, periods, and underscores — combining characters are stripped from usernames during registration. However, the display name (the bolded name shown above your bio on your profile page) accepts Unicode freely. You can use struck text in your display name without any restriction.
To edit your display name: Edit Profile → Name. Paste the struck text generated by the tool. Tap Done. The struck display name will appear on your profile, in search results, and in any comment or mention using your profile picture.
Frequently asked questions
Will strikethrough text show on all devices?
Yes. Any device running iOS 9+ or Android 5+ with a modern Unicode font will render the combining strikethrough correctly. This covers essentially all active Instagram users.
Does strikethrough affect Instagram hashtags?
Struck hashtags do not function as clickable hashtags. The combining characters make the text string different from the plain hashtag, so Instagram's hashtag linking engine does not recognize it. If you need a functioning hashtag in the same caption, keep it separate from the struck text.
Does Instagram count combining characters toward the character limit?
Yes. Each Unicode code point — including combining characters — counts as one character against Instagram's limits (150 for bio, 2,200 for captions).
Can I strikethrough only one word in my bio?
Yes. Generate only the word you want struck, copy it, then paste it into your bio alongside your regular text. Mix struck and normal text freely.