diff --git a/src/fs/filter.rs b/src/fs/filter.rs
index 7a9fc7f9..db4ab6d6 100644
--- a/src/fs/filter.rs
+++ b/src/fs/filter.rs
@@ -88,11 +88,11 @@ impl FileFilter {
     }
 
     /// Sort the files in the given vector based on the sort field option.
-    pub fn sort_files<'a, F>(&self, files: &mut Vec<F>)
+    pub fn sort_files<'a, F>(&self, files: &mut Vec<F>, maybe_different_parents: bool)
     where F: AsRef<File<'a>>
     {
         files.sort_by(|a, b| {
-            self.sort_field.compare_files(a.as_ref(), b.as_ref())
+            self.sort_field.compare_files(a.as_ref(), b.as_ref(), maybe_different_parents)
         });
 
         if self.reverse {
@@ -213,9 +213,16 @@ impl SortField {
     /// into groups between letters and numbers, and then sorts those blocks
     /// together, so `file10` will sort after `file9`, instead of before it
     /// because of the `1`.
-    pub fn compare_files(self, a: &File<'_>, b: &File<'_>) -> Ordering {
+    pub fn compare_files(self, a: &File<'_>, b: &File<'_>, maybe_different_parents: bool) -> Ordering {
         use self::SortCase::{ABCabc, AaBbCc};
 
+        if self != Self::Unsorted && maybe_different_parents {
+            match a.path.parent().cmp(&b.path.parent()) {
+                Ordering::Equal => {}
+                ord @ _ => return ord
+            }
+        }
+
         match self {
             Self::Unsorted  => Ordering::Equal,
 
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index b8d1b211..50090da5 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ impl<'args> Exa<'args> {
         let is_only_dir = dirs.len() == 1 && no_files;
 
         self.options.filter.filter_argument_files(&mut files);
-        self.print_files(None, files)?;
+        self.print_files(None, files, true)?;
 
         self.print_dirs(dirs, no_files, is_only_dir, exit_status)
     }
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ impl<'args> Exa<'args> {
         for dir in dir_files {
 
             // Put a gap between directories, or between the list of files and
-            // the first directory.
+            // the first directory when recursing.
             if first {
                 first = false;
             }
@@ -226,13 +226,15 @@ impl<'args> Exa<'args> {
                     Err((path, e))  => writeln!(io::stderr(), "[{}: {}]", path.display(), e)?,
                 }
             };
-
             self.options.filter.filter_child_files(&mut children);
-            self.options.filter.sort_files(&mut children);
+            if children.is_empty() {
+                continue;
+            }
 
             if let Some(recurse_opts) = self.options.dir_action.recurse_options() {
                 let depth = dir.path.components().filter(|&c| c != Component::CurDir).count() + 1;
                 if ! recurse_opts.tree && ! recurse_opts.is_too_deep(depth) {
+                    self.options.filter.sort_files(&mut children, false);
 
                     let mut child_dirs = Vec::new();
                     for child_dir in children.iter().filter(|f| f.is_directory() && ! f.is_all_all) {
@@ -242,7 +244,7 @@ impl<'args> Exa<'args> {
                         }
                     }
 
-                    self.print_files(Some(&dir), children)?;
+                    self.print_files(Some(&dir), children, false)?;
                     match self.print_dirs(child_dirs, false, false, exit_status) {
                         Ok(_)   => (),
                         Err(e)  => return Err(e),
@@ -251,14 +253,14 @@ impl<'args> Exa<'args> {
                 }
             }
 
-            self.print_files(Some(&dir), children)?;
+            self.print_files(Some(&dir), children, false)?;
         }
 
         Ok(exit_status)
     }
 
     /// Prints the list of files using whichever view is selected.
-    fn print_files(&mut self, dir: Option<&Dir>, files: Vec<File<'_>>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn print_files(&mut self, dir: Option<&Dir>, files: Vec<File<'_>>, maybe_different_parents: bool) -> io::Result<()> {
         if files.is_empty() {
             return Ok(());
         }
@@ -270,14 +272,14 @@ impl<'args> Exa<'args> {
             (Mode::Grid(ref opts), Some(console_width)) => {
                 let filter = &self.options.filter;
                 let r = grid::Render { files, theme, file_style, opts, console_width, filter };
-                r.render(&mut self.writer)
+                r.render(&mut self.writer, maybe_different_parents)
             }
 
             (Mode::Grid(_), None) |
             (Mode::Lines,   _)    => {
                 let filter = &self.options.filter;
                 let r = lines::Render { files, theme, file_style, filter };
-                r.render(&mut self.writer)
+                r.render(&mut self.writer, maybe_different_parents)
             }
 
             (Mode::Details(ref opts), _) => {
@@ -287,7 +289,7 @@ impl<'args> Exa<'args> {
                 let git_ignoring = self.options.filter.git_ignore == GitIgnore::CheckAndIgnore;
                 let git = self.git.as_ref();
                 let r = details::Render { dir, files, theme, file_style, opts, recurse, filter, git_ignoring, git };
-                r.render(&mut self.writer)
+                r.render(&mut self.writer, maybe_different_parents)
             }
 
             (Mode::GridDetails(ref opts), Some(console_width)) => {
@@ -300,7 +302,7 @@ impl<'args> Exa<'args> {
                 let git = self.git.as_ref();
 
                 let r = grid_details::Render { dir, files, theme, file_style, grid, details, filter, row_threshold, git_ignoring, git, console_width };
-                r.render(&mut self.writer)
+                r.render(&mut self.writer, maybe_different_parents)
             }
 
             (Mode::GridDetails(ref opts), None) => {
@@ -311,7 +313,7 @@ impl<'args> Exa<'args> {
 
                 let git = self.git.as_ref();
                 let r = details::Render { dir, files, theme, file_style, opts, recurse, filter, git_ignoring, git };
-                r.render(&mut self.writer)
+                r.render(&mut self.writer, maybe_different_parents)
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/output/details.rs b/src/output/details.rs
index 9dca7d40..712a74cf 100644
--- a/src/output/details.rs
+++ b/src/output/details.rs
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ impl<'a> AsRef<File<'a>> for Egg<'a> {
 
 
 impl<'a> Render<'a> {
-    pub fn render<W: Write>(mut self, w: &mut W) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn render<W: Write>(mut self, w: &mut W, first: bool) -> io::Result<()> {
         let mut pool = Pool::new(num_cpus::get() as u32);
         let mut rows = Vec::new();
 
@@ -168,14 +168,14 @@ impl<'a> Render<'a> {
             // This is weird, but I can’t find a way around it:
             // https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/should-option-mut-t-implement-copy/3715/6
             let mut table = Some(table);
-            self.add_files_to_table(&mut pool, &mut table, &mut rows, &self.files, TreeDepth::root());
+            self.add_files_to_table(&mut pool, &mut table, &mut rows, &self.files, TreeDepth::root(), first);
 
             for row in self.iterate_with_table(table.unwrap(), rows) {
                 writeln!(w, "{}", row.strings())?
             }
         }
         else {
-            self.add_files_to_table(&mut pool, &mut None, &mut rows, &self.files, TreeDepth::root());
+            self.add_files_to_table(&mut pool, &mut None, &mut rows, &self.files, TreeDepth::root(), first);
 
             for row in self.iterate(rows) {
                 writeln!(w, "{}", row.strings())?
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ impl<'a> Render<'a> {
 
     /// Adds files to the table, possibly recursively. This is easily
     /// parallelisable, and uses a pool of threads.
-    fn add_files_to_table<'dir>(&self, pool: &mut Pool, table: &mut Option<Table<'a>>, rows: &mut Vec<Row>, src: &[File<'dir>], depth: TreeDepth) {
+    fn add_files_to_table<'dir>(&self, pool: &mut Pool, table: &mut Option<Table<'a>>, rows: &mut Vec<Row>, src: &[File<'dir>], depth: TreeDepth, first: bool) {
         use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
         use log::*;
         use crate::fs::feature::xattr;
@@ -272,7 +272,8 @@ impl<'a> Render<'a> {
 
         // this is safe because all entries have been initialized above
         let mut file_eggs = unsafe { std::mem::transmute::<_, Vec<Egg<'_>>>(file_eggs) };
-        self.filter.sort_files(&mut file_eggs);
+
+        self.filter.sort_files(&mut file_eggs, first);
 
         for (tree_params, egg) in depth.iterate_over(file_eggs.into_iter()) {
             let mut files = Vec::new();
@@ -318,7 +319,7 @@ impl<'a> Render<'a> {
                         rows.push(self.render_error(&error, TreeParams::new(depth.deeper(), false), path));
                     }
 
-                    self.add_files_to_table(pool, table, rows, &files, depth.deeper());
+                    self.add_files_to_table(pool, table, rows, &files, depth.deeper(), false);
                     continue;
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/output/grid.rs b/src/output/grid.rs
index 290ee8b3..e6cfa47e 100644
--- a/src/output/grid.rs
+++ b/src/output/grid.rs
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ pub struct Render<'a> {
 }
 
 impl<'a> Render<'a> {
-    pub fn render<W: Write>(mut self, w: &mut W) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn render<W: Write>(mut self, w: &mut W, maybe_different_parents: bool) -> io::Result<()> {
         let mut grid = tg::Grid::new(tg::GridOptions {
             direction:  self.opts.direction(),
             filling:    tg::Filling::Spaces(2),
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ impl<'a> Render<'a> {
 
         grid.reserve(self.files.len());
 
-        self.filter.sort_files(&mut self.files);
+        self.filter.sort_files(&mut self.files, maybe_different_parents);
         for file in &self.files {
             let filename = self.file_style.for_file(file, self.theme).paint();
 
diff --git a/src/output/grid_details.rs b/src/output/grid_details.rs
index 35ff0236..705c9f83 100644
--- a/src/output/grid_details.rs
+++ b/src/output/grid_details.rs
@@ -133,12 +133,13 @@ impl<'a> Render<'a> {
     // This doesn’t take an IgnoreCache even though the details one does
     // because grid-details has no tree view.
 
-    pub fn render<W: Write>(mut self, w: &mut W) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn render<W: Write>(mut self, w: &mut W, maybe_different_parents: bool) -> io::Result<()> {
+        self.filter.sort_files(&mut self.files, maybe_different_parents);
         if let Some((grid, width)) = self.find_fitting_grid() {
             write!(w, "{}", grid.fit_into_columns(width))
         }
         else {
-            self.give_up().render(w)
+            self.give_up().render(w, maybe_different_parents)
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/output/lines.rs b/src/output/lines.rs
index 2343ce50..da2852ae 100644
--- a/src/output/lines.rs
+++ b/src/output/lines.rs
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ pub struct Render<'a> {
 }
 
 impl<'a> Render<'a> {
-    pub fn render<W: Write>(mut self, w: &mut W) -> io::Result<()> {
-        self.filter.sort_files(&mut self.files);
+    pub fn render<W: Write>(mut self, w: &mut W, maybe_different_parents: bool) -> io::Result<()> {
+        self.filter.sort_files(&mut self.files, maybe_different_parents);
         for file in &self.files {
             let name_cell = self.render_file(file);
             writeln!(w, "{}", ANSIStrings(&name_cell))?;