diff --git a/rhodecode/api/tests/test_fts_search.py b/rhodecode/api/tests/test_fts_search.py
--- a/rhodecode/api/tests/test_fts_search.py
+++ b/rhodecode/api/tests/test_fts_search.py
@@ -27,6 +27,16 @@ from rhodecode.api.tests.utils import (
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures("testuser_api", "app")
 class TestApiSearch(object):
 
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("sort_dir", [
+        "asc",
+        "desc",
+    ])
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("sort", [
+        "xxx",
+        "author_email",
+        "date",
+        "message",
+    ])
     @pytest.mark.parametrize("query, expected_hits, expected_paths", [
         ('todo', 23, [
             'vcs/backends/hg/inmemory.py',
@@ -55,10 +65,11 @@ class TestApiSearch(object):
             'vcs/tests/test_cli.py']),
         ('owner:michał test', 0, []),
     ])
-    def test_search_content_results(self, query, expected_hits, expected_paths):
+    def test_search_content_results(self, sort_dir, sort, query, expected_hits, expected_paths):
         id_, params = build_data(
             self.apikey_regular, 'search',
             search_query=query,
+            search_sort='{}:{}'.format(sort_dir, sort),
             search_type='content')
 
         response = api_call(self.app, params)
@@ -70,6 +81,16 @@ class TestApiSearch(object):
         for expected_path in expected_paths:
             assert expected_path in paths
 
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("sort_dir", [
+        "asc",
+        "desc",
+    ])
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("sort", [
+        "xxx",
+        "date",
+        "file",
+        "size",
+    ])
     @pytest.mark.parametrize("query, expected_hits, expected_paths", [
         ('readme.rst', 3, []),
         ('test*', 75, []),
@@ -77,10 +98,11 @@ class TestApiSearch(object):
         ('extension:rst', 48, []),
         ('extension:rst api', 24, []),
     ])
-    def test_search_file_paths(self, query, expected_hits, expected_paths):
+    def test_search_file_paths(self, sort_dir, sort, query, expected_hits, expected_paths):
         id_, params = build_data(
             self.apikey_regular, 'search',
             search_query=query,
+            search_sort='{}:{}'.format(sort_dir, sort),
             search_type='path')
 
         response = api_call(self.app, params)
diff --git a/rhodecode/apps/search/views.py b/rhodecode/apps/search/views.py
--- a/rhodecode/apps/search/views.py
+++ b/rhodecode/apps/search/views.py
@@ -110,9 +110,13 @@ def perform_search(request, tmpl_context
     c.search_tags = search_tags
 
     direction, sort_field = searcher.get_sort(search_type, search_sort)
-    c.sort = '{}:{}'.format(direction, sort_field)
-    c.sort_tag = sort_field
+    sort_definition = searcher.sort_def(search_type, direction, sort_field)
+    c.sort = ''
+    c.sort_tag = None
     c.sort_tag_dir = direction
+    if sort_definition:
+        c.sort = '{}:{}'.format(direction, sort_field)
+        c.sort_tag = sort_field
 
 
 class SearchView(BaseAppView):
diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/index/__init__.py b/rhodecode/lib/index/__init__.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/index/__init__.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/index/__init__.py
@@ -89,6 +89,15 @@ class BaseSearcher(object):
         """
         return val
 
+    def sort_def(self, search_type, direction, sort_field):
+        """
+        Defines sorting for search. This function should decide if for given
+        search_type, sorting can be done with sort_field.
+
+        It also should translate common sort fields into backend specific. e.g elasticsearch
+        """
+        raise NotImplementedError()
+
     @staticmethod
     def get_sort(search_type, search_val):
         """
diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/index/whoosh.py b/rhodecode/lib/index/whoosh.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/index/whoosh.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/index/whoosh.py
@@ -99,6 +99,29 @@ class WhooshSearcher(BaseSearcher):
             query = u'(%s) OR %s' % (query, hashes_or_query)
         return query
 
+    def sort_def(self, search_type, direction, sort_field):
+
+        if search_type == 'commit':
+            field_defs = {
+                'message': 'message',
+                'date': 'date',
+                'author_email': 'author',
+            }
+        elif search_type == 'path':
+            field_defs = {
+                'file': 'path',
+                'size': 'size',
+                'lines': 'lines',
+            }
+        elif search_type == 'content':
+            # NOTE(dan): content doesn't support any sorting
+            field_defs = {}
+        else:
+            return ''
+
+        if sort_field in field_defs:
+            return field_defs[sort_field]
+
     def search(self, query, document_type, search_user,
                repo_name=None, repo_group_name=None,
                requested_page=1, page_limit=10, sort=None, raise_on_exc=True):
@@ -124,21 +147,16 @@ class WhooshSearcher(BaseSearcher):
                 query = qp.parse(safe_unicode(query))
                 log.debug('query: %s (%s)', query, repr(query))
 
-                def sort_def(_direction, _sort_field):
-                    field2whoosh = {
-                        'message.raw': 'message',
-                        'author.email.raw': 'author',
-                    }
-                    return field2whoosh.get(_sort_field) or _sort_field
-
                 reverse, sorted_by = False, None
                 direction, sort_field = self.get_sort(search_type, sort)
                 if sort_field:
-                    if direction == Searcher.DIRECTION_DESC:
-                        reverse = True
-                    if direction == Searcher.DIRECTION_ASC:
-                        reverse = False
-                    sorted_by = sort_def(direction, sort_field)
+                    sort_definition = self.sort_def(search_type, direction, sort_field)
+                    if sort_definition:
+                        sorted_by = sort_definition
+                        if direction == Searcher.DIRECTION_DESC:
+                            reverse = True
+                        if direction == Searcher.DIRECTION_ASC:
+                            reverse = False
 
                 whoosh_results = self.searcher.search(
                     query, filter=allowed_repos_filter, limit=None,
diff --git a/rhodecode/templates/search/search.mako b/rhodecode/templates/search/search.mako
--- a/rhodecode/templates/search/search.mako
+++ b/rhodecode/templates/search/search.mako
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
     elif c.sort.startswith('desc:'):
         return c.url_generator(sort='asc:{}'.format(field_name))
 
-    return 'asc:{}'.format(field_name)
+    return c.url_generator(sort='asc:{}'.format(field_name))
     %>
 </%def>
 
diff --git a/rhodecode/templates/search/search_commit.mako b/rhodecode/templates/search/search_commit.mako
--- a/rhodecode/templates/search/search_commit.mako
+++ b/rhodecode/templates/search/search_commit.mako
@@ -9,13 +9,13 @@
         <th>${_('Commit')}</th>
         <th></th>
         <th>
-            <a href="${search.field_sort('message.raw')}">${_('Commit message')}</a>
+            <a href="${search.field_sort('message')}">${_('Commit message')}</a>
         </th>
         <th>
-            <a href="${search.field_sort('date')}">${_('Age')}</a>
+            <a href="${search.field_sort('date')}">${_('Commit date')}</a>
         </th>
         <th>
-            <a href="${search.field_sort('author.email.raw')}">${_('Author')}</a>
+            <a href="${search.field_sort('author_email')}">${_('Author')}</a>
         </th>
     </tr>
     %for entry in c.formatted_results:
diff --git a/rhodecode/templates/search/search_path.mako b/rhodecode/templates/search/search_path.mako
--- a/rhodecode/templates/search/search_path.mako
+++ b/rhodecode/templates/search/search_path.mako
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     <tr>
         <th>${_('Repository')}</th>
         <th>
-            <a href="${search.field_sort('file.raw')}">${_('File')}</a>
+            <a href="${search.field_sort('file')}">${_('File')}</a>
         </th>
         <th>
             <a href="${search.field_sort('size')}">${_('Size')}</a>