how to have EMACS use the right alt key the same as the left alt key

Question

I regularly use the backspace key to delete whole words at a time to the left of the cursor, but this would be a MUCH easier keystroke if it could be done one-handed. For that to happen - I would need to use the right key. But when I do this from EMACS' response it is clearly interpreting this key as being different form the left key.

In this answer the poster identifies a method to achieve this outcome of changing the keymap: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10257352/right-alt-key-not-working-as-meta-key-in-emacs

I would like to do this by "tweaking" emacs rather than change my keymap in the OS.

Does anybody know how to tell emacs that right alt is the same as left alt?

I am using Windows 10 as my OS

I am accessing EMACS through PUTTY: Release 0.70

onto a Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation release 7.6 (Maipo)

EMACS Version: GNU Emacs 24.3.1

This is on my Universities linux Lab - so I am not likely to have a lot of ability to edit config files for EMACS either...

Answer 1

in init.el,

(setq w32-recognize-altgr nil)

Please find it in G.6 Keyboard Usage on MS-Windows (https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Windows-Keyboard.html)

Best Wish, SY

Answer 2

for fedora (34+), at least, the incantation is:

• settings .. keyboard
• special characters entry .. alternate characters key default is right alt.
  change it to something else, maybe something you don't have, like right super.

.. unless you need to type some fancy characters... :-)