diff --git a/renderer/app.js b/renderer/app.js
index a5d89bf..4ba315a 100644
--- a/renderer/app.js
+++ b/renderer/app.js
@@ -63,10 +63,12 @@ const queueSortState = { key: 'filename', direction: 'asc' };
 // History state
 let historyRowsData = [];
 let historySortState = { key: 'date', direction: 'desc' };
+let _historySortClicked = false;
 
 // Session-specific files for the "Files" panel (resets each session)
 let sessionFilesData = [];
 const recentSortState = { key: 'date', direction: 'desc' };
+let _recentSortClicked = false;
 const selectedRecentIds = new Set();
 // Maintained incrementally — avoids O(n) filter() scans every 250ms in the status bar.
 let _sessionDoneCount = 0;
@@ -4150,8 +4152,14 @@ function renderHistoryTable(container) {
       const th = e.target.closest('th.sortable');
       if (th && container.contains(th)) {
         const key = th.dataset.historySort;
-        if (historySortState.key === key) historySortState.direction = historySortState.direction === 'asc' ? 'desc' : 'asc';
-        else { historySortState.key = key; historySortState.direction = key === 'date' ? 'desc' : 'asc'; }
+        const defaultDir = key === 'date' ? 'desc' : 'asc';
+        if (!_historySortClicked || historySortState.key !== key) {
+          _historySortClicked = true;
+          historySortState.key = key;
+          historySortState.direction = defaultDir;
+        } else {
+          historySortState.direction = historySortState.direction === 'asc' ? 'desc' : 'asc';
+        }
         renderHistoryTable(container);
         return;
       }
@@ -4207,11 +4215,13 @@ function setupListeners() {
     const th = e.target.closest('th[data-recent-sort]');
     if (!th) return;
     const key = th.dataset.recentSort;
-    if (recentSortState.key === key) {
-      recentSortState.direction = recentSortState.direction === 'desc' ? 'asc' : 'desc';
-    } else {
+    const defaultDir = key === 'date' ? 'desc' : 'asc';
+    if (!_recentSortClicked || recentSortState.key !== key) {
+      _recentSortClicked = true;
       recentSortState.key = key;
-      recentSortState.direction = key === 'date' ? 'desc' : 'asc';
+      recentSortState.direction = defaultDir;
+    } else {
+      recentSortState.direction = recentSortState.direction === 'desc' ? 'asc' : 'desc';
     }
     renderRecentUploadsPanel();
   });