I’ve been using Notion to organize my cooking recipes, and I’m having trouble with keeping a specific arrangement. I created a database for all my recipes and manually arranged them by dragging items until I got the perfect order. The issue is that this custom arrangement doesn’t seem to stick when I switch between different views or reload the page. I know I could create a new property field and assign numbers to each recipe for sorting, but I’m trying to keep my database clean without adding unnecessary columns. Is there a way to make Notion remember my manual drag-and-drop ordering? I want to save it as a permanent view option and easily switch between this custom order and other sorting methods like alphabetical or by date added.
manual drag ordering in Notion is just useless - had the same issue with my workout db and it drove me nuts! one trick that saved me: use emoji numbers like 
or 
as your sort field. way cleaner than regular numbers and actually sorts properly!
Yeah, this is just how Notion works unfortunately. The drag-and-drop order you create is basically temporary - it gets wiped whenever the database refreshes or you switch views. I hit this same issue with my meal planning setup and wasted hours looking for workarounds that don’t exist. Notion treats manual arrangements like temporary UI changes, not actual data sorting. Even saving the view won’t help because there’s no underlying data telling it how to recreate that order. You really need a sorting property to make it stick. If you don’t want obvious numbers, try using a date field with custom dates - set arbitrary dates that match your preferred order and it’ll sort chronologically while looking more natural than a rank column.
Nope, Notion doesn’t save manual drag-and-drop ordering - it’s super annoying. I hit this same wall last year with my project database. The manual arrangement only lasts for that session and disappears when you refresh or switch views. You’re right about needing a dedicated sorting property. I ended up making a “Display Order” number field and just hid it from my main view while keeping it for sorting. You could also use a formula that combines multiple criteria if you want fancier ordering. The extra column’s annoying but worth it for sorting that actually sticks and doesn’t reset on you.
Yeah, this is a frustrating Notion bug. The manual drag ordering always resets because Notion sees it as temporary visual stuff, not real sorting. I’ve dealt with this same headache organizing client databases. Here’s what actually works: Create a text property called “Sort” and use values like A1, A2, B1, B2. Way better than numbers since you can slot new items between existing ones without redoing everything. Or try a select property with “Priority 1”, “Priority 2” options - works as both sorting and recipe categories. Either way, you can hide the sort column in your main view but keep multiple sorted views that don’t randomly reset.
yeah, it’s a bummer that Notion doesn’t hold manual sort orders. i had a similar issue with my project tracker too. in the end, using a hidden prop for sorting is the way to go. maybe a single-select option could work for you, adds a little flair to organizing!
Yeah, that’s just how Notion works - been broken like this for years. Manual drag arrangements never stick when you refresh or switch views. I found out the hard way with my book database after spending hours arranging everything perfectly, only to lose it all on refresh. The database always goes back to whatever sorting rule you’ve set or just defaults to creation date. I get why you don’t want extra properties, but there’s no way around it if you want custom ordering that actually works. Try using a formula property that calculates sort order from your existing data instead of manual input - keeps things cleaner while still giving you the control you’re after.