Where do I configure the default text selection behavior in Windows?

Here’s workaround that I found online:

When you insert the cursor in the middle of a word and start dragging, and the whole word gets highlighted, backtrack the cursor a little then resume dragging in the desired direction. The rest of the word will be ‘released’ and you will only select the text from the intended point.

The answer is no, Windows does not provide a method of controlling the mouse text selection.
Individual apps are allowed to do different things.

Things to remember are the ctrl/shift + left/right combinations can be handy and easier to select the text you want. So I can click in URL for this page, press ctrl+left/right to jump through the url, then hold shift as well to start selecting bits.

Change “clicklock” settings to longer or turn it off in your device settings.

There is a strong argument for Microsoft to “fix” this as it does have security implications, but like a lot of their issues, it is put in the too hard basket.

A good workaround was to cut more than you need and trim it in notepad.

It is very poor behaviour to ignore a cursor, but the developers have assumed you are cutting whole words and have “missed” the cursor position required. Why it grabs trailing spaces (?) and includes leading quotes when there is no trailing quote is beyond me.

The latest version (2016) allows you to disable word selection in the first place, but “reversing” is generally the way to turn it off once you have begun the selection, like shaking it off really.