There are only a few ways to get Windows-style Alt key shortcuts in Excel and PowerPoint on a Mac. Each comparison below states what the alternative costs, how long it takes to set up, how it feels to type in, and when it is the better choice.
Boot Camp installs Windows on an Intel Mac and needs a reboot to switch. It does not exist on Apple Silicon Macs. Accelerator Keys adds Windows Alt shortcuts to native Excel for Mac for $39.99/year with no reboot. Cost, setup, and when Boot Camp is still the right choice.
Excel for Mac ships with Cmd shortcuts and a Tools > Customize Keyboard dialog, both free. Neither gives you Windows-style Alt sequences or KeyTips. What the built-in options can and cannot do, and when they are enough.
Karabiner-Elements is a free, open-source key remapper for macOS. It can remap Option or add per-app rules, but it cannot drive Excel's ribbon or show KeyTips, because Excel for Mac has none. When Karabiner is enough, and when you need Accelerator Keys.
Keyboard Maestro ($36 one-time) and BetterTouchTool ($15 for 2 years or $25 lifetime) are macro tools that can trigger Excel menu items from a hotkey. Building hundreds of Alt sequences by hand is the catch. Costs, limits, and when each tool is right.
Relearning Excel for Mac's Cmd shortcuts is free, but many Windows Alt commands — AutoFit, Freeze Panes, Sort A→Z, Merge & Center, PivotTable — have no Mac shortcut at all. Accelerator Keys keeps your Windows Alt sequences in native Excel for Mac for $39.99/year. A side-by-side table and when relearning is the right choice.
Macabacus is a finance productivity add-in for Excel, PowerPoint and Word with its own shortcut set. Its full version is a Windows COM add-in; on a Mac it runs inside a Windows VM. Accelerator Keys restores Windows Alt ribbon shortcuts in native Excel for Mac. Here is how the two differ, and why many analysts use both.
Parallels runs real Windows Excel on your Mac for about $100–$220 plus a Windows license. Accelerator Keys adds the same Alt shortcuts to native Mac Excel for $39.99/year with no VM. Cost, setup, latency, and when Parallels is the right choice.
Remote Desktop (Microsoft's free Windows App for Mac) lets you drive a real Windows PC or VDI from your Mac, so Excel Alt shortcuts work — with network latency, a second machine, and some Mac keyboard quirks. Accelerator Keys adds the same shortcuts to native Excel for Mac for $39.99/year. When each is right.
Windows 365 streams a full Windows PC to your Mac for $28–$66 per user per month, so every Excel Alt shortcut works — over the internet, with latency, managed by IT. Accelerator Keys adds the same Alt shortcuts to native Mac Excel for $39.99/year, offline. Costs, trade-offs, and when a Cloud PC is right.
VMware Fusion and UTM are free ways to run Windows Excel on a Mac, but you still need a Windows 11 license and give up RAM, CPU, and battery to a second OS. Accelerator Keys adds the same Alt shortcuts to native Excel for Mac for $39.99/year. Cost, setup, and when a VM is the right choice.