I forgot the security words needed to login to my old laptop

Because the local account password and security questions are both forgotten, the only supported options are to reset the local password from the sign-in screen (if security questions can be answered) or to reset/reinstall Windows.

For a local account on Windows 10 or later, the built-in recovery relies on those security questions:

1. On the Windows sign-in screen, select the password entry button.
2. Select OK, then Reset password.
3. Answer the security questions that were configured when the account was created.
4. Enter a new password.

If the security questions cannot be answered correctly, Windows will not allow the password reset for that local account. In that case, access to that specific account cannot be recovered, and the practical way forward is to reinstall Windows on the laptop and set up a new account. This will remove existing data on the device, so any important files would need to have been backed up previously.

For future use, when creating a local account, ensure security questions are set and remembered, or use a Microsoft account so that password reset can be done online via the Microsoft account recovery options.

References:

• Change or reset your password in Windows
• Windows 10 OOBE screen details