diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentService.java b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentService.java
index caf2e280..c0747cc4 100644
--- a/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentService.java
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentService.java
@@ -319,8 +319,8 @@ public class DocumentService {
             return sortBySender(results, dir);
         }
 
-        // RELEVANCE: default when text present and no explicit non-relevance sort requested
-        boolean useRankOrder = hasText && (sort == null || sort == DocumentSort.RELEVANCE || sort == DocumentSort.DATE);
+        // RELEVANCE: default when text present and no explicit sort given
+        boolean useRankOrder = hasText && (sort == null || sort == DocumentSort.RELEVANCE);
         if (useRankOrder) {
             List<Document> results = documentRepository.findAll(spec);
             final List<UUID> ids = rankedIds;
diff --git a/backend/src/test/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentServiceSortTest.java b/backend/src/test/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentServiceSortTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..44a7a51e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/test/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentServiceSortTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+package org.raddatz.familienarchiv.service;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.extension.ExtendWith;
+import org.mockito.InjectMocks;
+import org.mockito.Mock;
+import org.mockito.junit.jupiter.MockitoExtension;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.dto.DocumentSort;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.model.Document;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.model.DocumentStatus;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.repository.DocumentRepository;
+import org.springframework.data.domain.Sort;
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.domain.Specification;
+
+import java.time.LocalDate;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
+
+@ExtendWith(MockitoExtension.class)
+class DocumentServiceSortTest {
+
+    @Mock DocumentRepository documentRepository;
+    @Mock PersonService personService;
+    @Mock FileService fileService;
+    @Mock TagService tagService;
+    @Mock DocumentVersionService documentVersionService;
+    @Mock AnnotationService annotationService;
+    @InjectMocks DocumentService documentService;
+
+    // ─── searchDocuments — DATE sort ──────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    @Test
+    void searchDocuments_with_DATE_sort_and_text_sorts_chronologically_not_by_relevance() {
+        UUID id1 = UUID.randomUUID();  // rank position 0 (higher relevance, older doc)
+        UUID id2 = UUID.randomUUID();  // rank position 1 (lower relevance, newer doc)
+
+        Document older = Document.builder().id(id1)
+                .title("Brief").status(DocumentStatus.UPLOADED)
+                .documentDate(LocalDate.of(1940, 1, 1)).build();
+        Document newer = Document.builder().id(id2)
+                .title("Brief").status(DocumentStatus.UPLOADED)
+                .documentDate(LocalDate.of(1960, 1, 1)).build();
+
+        // FTS returns id1 first (higher rank), id2 second
+        when(documentRepository.findRankedIdsByFts("Brief")).thenReturn(List.of(id1, id2));
+        // findAll(spec, sort) — the correct date path — returns date-DESC order
+        when(documentRepository.findAll(any(Specification.class), any(Sort.class)))
+                .thenReturn(List.of(newer, older));
+
+        List<Document> result = documentService.searchDocuments(
+                "Brief", null, null, null, null, null, null, null, DocumentSort.DATE, "DESC");
+
+        // Expect: date order (newer 1960 first), NOT rank order (older 1940 first)
+        assertThat(result).hasSize(2);
+        assertThat(result.get(0).getId()).isEqualTo(id2);  // newer doc first
+    }
+
+    // ─── searchDocuments — RELEVANCE sort ─────────────────────────────────────
+
+    @Test
+    void searchDocuments_with_RELEVANCE_sort_and_text_preserves_fts_rank_order() {
+        UUID id1 = UUID.randomUUID();  // rank position 0
+        UUID id2 = UUID.randomUUID();  // rank position 1
+
+        Document doc1 = Document.builder().id(id1).title("Brief").status(DocumentStatus.UPLOADED).build();
+        Document doc2 = Document.builder().id(id2).title("Brief").status(DocumentStatus.UPLOADED).build();
+
+        when(documentRepository.findRankedIdsByFts("Brief")).thenReturn(List.of(id1, id2));
+        when(documentRepository.findAll(any(Specification.class)))
+                .thenReturn(List.of(doc2, doc1));  // unordered from DB
+
+        List<Document> result = documentService.searchDocuments(
+                "Brief", null, null, null, null, null, null, null, DocumentSort.RELEVANCE, null);
+
+        // Expect: rank order restored (id1 first)
+        assertThat(result.get(0).getId()).isEqualTo(id1);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void searchDocuments_with_null_sort_and_text_defaults_to_fts_rank_order() {
+        UUID id1 = UUID.randomUUID();
+        UUID id2 = UUID.randomUUID();
+
+        Document doc1 = Document.builder().id(id1).title("Brief").status(DocumentStatus.UPLOADED).build();
+        Document doc2 = Document.builder().id(id2).title("Brief").status(DocumentStatus.UPLOADED).build();
+
+        when(documentRepository.findRankedIdsByFts("Brief")).thenReturn(List.of(id1, id2));
+        when(documentRepository.findAll(any(Specification.class)))
+                .thenReturn(List.of(doc2, doc1));
+
+        List<Document> result = documentService.searchDocuments(
+                "Brief", null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null);
+
+        assertThat(result.get(0).getId()).isEqualTo(id1);
+    }
+}