diff --git a/catalogue/search.pl b/catalogue/search.pl
index 13b137b1c2..014d4f6e34 100755
--- a/catalogue/search.pl
+++ b/catalogue/search.pl
@@ -265,7 +265,12 @@ if ( $template_type eq 'advsearch' ) {
     
     my $secondary_servers_loop;# = displaySecondaryServers();
     $template->param(outer_sup_servers_loop => $secondary_servers_loop,);
-    
+
+    # set the default sorting
+    my $default_sort_by = C4::Context->preference('defaultSortField')."_".C4::Context->preference('defaultSortOrder')
+        if (C4::Context->preference('OPACdefaultSortField') && C4::Context->preference('OPACdefaultSortOrder'));
+    $template->param($default_sort_by => 1);
+
     # determine what to display next to the search boxes (ie, boolean option
     # shouldn't appear on the first one, scan indexes should, adding a new
     # box should only appear on the last, etc.
diff --git a/opac/opac-search.pl b/opac/opac-search.pl
index ddccb84280..e5e916dc8d 100755
--- a/opac/opac-search.pl
+++ b/opac/opac-search.pl
@@ -179,7 +179,12 @@ if ( $template_type eq 'advsearch' ) {
     
     my $secondary_servers_loop;# = displaySecondaryServers();
     $template->param(outer_sup_servers_loop => $secondary_servers_loop,);
-    
+
+    # set the default sorting
+    my $default_sort_by = C4::Context->preference('OPACdefaultSortField')."_".C4::Context->preference('OPACdefaultSortOrder') 
+        if (C4::Context->preference('OPACdefaultSortField') && C4::Context->preference('OPACdefaultSortOrder'));
+    $template->param($default_sort_by => 1);
+
     # determine what to display next to the search boxes (ie, boolean option
     # shouldn't appear on the first one, scan indexes should, adding a new
     # box should only appear on the last, etc.