How to set the default "sort order"

[avacto]

When I am importing photos, and then viewing them, how can I set the default "sort order"?  I currently want to set it to "file name", but every time I shut down Lightroom and restart it, the sort order has changed to something else.

I find lots of discussions about this on the internet, but no answers.  Also lots of YouTube videos explaining how to change the Sort Order, but nothing on how to find a setting, or a preference, to make the change last.

In my case, this is for Lightroom 6 on a MacBook Pro, but I've read the same question about many versions of Lightroom on both Mac and PC.

(I don't really want to know why one setting for sort order is better than another - I just want to know how to set it from now on, so it won't change unless I change it myself.)

[JP Hess]

I am using Windows 10. Whenever I import Lightroom seems to automatically change the sort order to capture time. I prefer file name sort order. So I have to change it back whenever I import. To my knowledge, there isn't a way to set a "default" sort order that will be permanent..

[avacto]

For me, the default sort order is by "added order" ...which is useless.  If it was sorted by default by "capture time", I could accept that, as were I to be using two cameras, it would be useful.

My question isn't "which is best", or why, but simply how to change the default setting.  I can't believe that it isn't some kind of setting people have access to.  At a minimum, the default should be "whatever it was set to the previous time".  If that's how it is supposed to work now, on a MacBook Pro, using Sierrra MacOS, it is broken.

It's not that big a deal - it's just annoying, and one more useless thing to deal with before I can start working with imported images.

[ManiacJoe]

What I tend to see on my Win10 installation is this:

The Import dialog defaults to "capture time", which is reasonable.

The Library grid seems to default to "added order", maybe, or something I don't find useful. However, the grid does remember the sort order for each folder and collection. So I just need to correct the sort once.

[avacto]

Well, it's not really a "problem" but it is rather annoying.  I'm used to it more or less, but I'm trying to show others how to use Lightroom, and they just don't "get it" when the photos appear all scrambled.  It's easy enough to fix, but it would be better if Lightroom would just remember your last settings, and start up using them.

[JP Hess · Accepted solution]

I agree. I prefer to have my images in filename order. I have to remember to change the sort order after every import. If you'd like to make a feature request, here is the forum where you can do that:

Photoshop Family Customer Community

[alessandroavenali]

2024 here. LR Classic in Windows 10 now switched to File Name sorting order for new collections, instead of Capture Time on Mac.

How do I make Capture Time default for every new collection created? TY.