Using a PC keyboard on a Mac

Not exactly sure where to post this, so please let me know if I should put it somewhere else.

I use my Mac to log into my virtual desktop at work, which runs Windows. I use PC-version Excel on my work desktop and am trying to use it through my Mac. I got a PC keyboard so that I could use Excel effectively, but the Mac seems to be "translating" the keys before they get to Excel, so that some of them don't work as i am used to them working. The most important one is "Alt," which doesn't do anything when I try to use it. Is there any way to change settings so that the alt key works as it would on a PC computer when using PC-based Excel?

It shouldn't matter what type of keyboard you're using as long as you use the correct key combos when you access Windows, whether it be remote or local. You can use your Mac's keyboard just as well. The "alt" key is "option" on a Mac. And by the way, Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac use the same key combos.

If there is any key translating going on (as you say) it's likely due to the remote access software you're using, not your Mac.