diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1d25540..b6cdae9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ To build the plugin for Dolphin integration KIO is also requried. Additionally,
 building the plugin, add `-DNO_FILE_ITEM_ACTION_PLUGIN:BOOL=ON` to the CMake arguments.
 
 To build the Plasmoid for the Plasma 5 desktop, the Qt module QML and the KF5 module
-Plasma are required as well. Additionally, the Plasmoid requires Qt 5.8 or newer. To skip
+Plasma are required as well. Additionally, the Plasmoid requires Qt 5.12 or newer. To skip
 building the Plasmoid, add `-DNO_PLASMOID:BOOL=ON` to the CMake arguments.
 
 It is also possible to build only the CLI (syncthingctl) by adding `-DNO_MODEL:BOOL=ON` and
diff --git a/model/CMakeLists.txt b/model/CMakeLists.txt
index aeeed8d..0ad6b09 100644
--- a/model/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/model/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ set(HEADER_FILES
     syncthingdevicemodel.h
     syncthingdownloadmodel.h
     syncthingrecentchangesmodel.h
+    syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.h
     syncthingstatusselectionmodel.h
     syncthingicons.h
     colors.h)
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ set(SRC_FILES
     syncthingdevicemodel.cpp
     syncthingdownloadmodel.cpp
     syncthingrecentchangesmodel.cpp
+    syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.cpp
     syncthingstatusselectionmodel.cpp
     syncthingicons.cpp)
 set(RES_FILES resources/${META_PROJECT_NAME}icons.qrc)
diff --git a/model/syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.cpp b/model/syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..badeab7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/model/syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#include "./syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.h"
+
+#include <QSortFilterProxyModel>
+
+namespace Data {
+
+bool SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel::filterAcceptsRow(int sourceRow, const QModelIndex &sourceParent) const
+{
+    // show all nested structures
+    if (sourceParent.isValid()) {
+        return true;
+    }
+    // use default filtering for top-level
+    return QSortFilterProxyModel::filterAcceptsRow(sourceRow, sourceParent);
+}
+
+bool SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel::lessThan(const QModelIndex &left, const QModelIndex &right) const
+{
+    // keep order within nested structures
+    if (m_behavior == SyncthingDirectorySortBehavior::KeepRawOrder || left.parent().isValid() || right.parent().isValid()) {
+        return left.row() < right.row();
+    }
+    // use the default sorting for the top-level
+    return QSortFilterProxyModel::lessThan(left, right);
+}
+
+} // namespace Data
diff --git a/model/syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.h b/model/syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7d78e25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/model/syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.h
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+#ifndef DATA_SYNCTHINGSORTFILTERDIRECTORYMODEL_H
+#define DATA_SYNCTHINGSORTFILTERDIRECTORYMODEL_H
+
+#include "./global.h"
+
+#include <QSortFilterProxyModel>
+
+namespace Data {
+
+enum class SyncthingDirectorySortBehavior {
+    KeepRawOrder,
+    Alphabetically,
+};
+
+class LIB_SYNCTHING_MODEL_EXPORT SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel : public QSortFilterProxyModel {
+    Q_OBJECT
+public:
+    explicit SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel(QAbstractItemModel *sourceModel = nullptr, QObject *parent = nullptr);
+
+    SyncthingDirectorySortBehavior behavior() const;
+    void setBehavior(SyncthingDirectorySortBehavior behavior);
+
+protected:
+    bool filterAcceptsRow(int sourceRow, const QModelIndex &sourceParent) const override;
+    bool lessThan(const QModelIndex &left, const QModelIndex &right) const override;
+
+private:
+    SyncthingDirectorySortBehavior m_behavior;
+};
+
+inline SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel::SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel(QAbstractItemModel *sourceModel, QObject *parent)
+    : QSortFilterProxyModel(parent)
+    , m_behavior(SyncthingDirectorySortBehavior::Alphabetically)
+{
+    setSortCaseSensitivity(Qt::CaseInsensitive);
+    setFilterCaseSensitivity(Qt::CaseInsensitive);
+    setSourceModel(sourceModel);
+}
+
+inline SyncthingDirectorySortBehavior SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel::behavior() const
+{
+    return m_behavior;
+}
+
+inline void SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel::setBehavior(SyncthingDirectorySortBehavior behavior)
+{
+    if (behavior != m_behavior) {
+        m_behavior = behavior;
+        invalidate();
+    }
+}
+
+} // namespace Data
+
+#endif // DATA_SYNCTHINGSORTFILTERDIRECTORYMODEL_H
diff --git a/plasmoid/lib/syncthingapplet.cpp b/plasmoid/lib/syncthingapplet.cpp
index fe8cf37..3d6b898 100644
--- a/plasmoid/lib/syncthingapplet.cpp
+++ b/plasmoid/lib/syncthingapplet.cpp
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ SyncthingApplet::SyncthingApplet(QObject *parent, const QVariantList &data)
     , m_connection()
     , m_notifier(m_connection)
     , m_dirModel(m_connection)
+    , m_sortFilterDirModel(&m_dirModel)
     , m_devModel(m_connection)
     , m_downloadModel(m_connection)
     , m_recentChangesModel(m_connection)
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@ SyncthingApplet::SyncthingApplet(QObject *parent, const QVariantList &data)
 #ifdef LIB_SYNCTHING_CONNECTOR_SUPPORT_SYSTEMD
     m_notifier.setService(&m_service);
 #endif
+    m_sortFilterDirModel.sort(0, Qt::AscendingOrder);
     qmlRegisterUncreatableMetaObject(Data::staticMetaObject, "martchus.syncthingplasmoid", 0, 6, "Data", QStringLiteral("only enums"));
 }
 
diff --git a/plasmoid/lib/syncthingapplet.h b/plasmoid/lib/syncthingapplet.h
index 971b000..062fbc5 100644
--- a/plasmoid/lib/syncthingapplet.h
+++ b/plasmoid/lib/syncthingapplet.h
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include "../../model/syncthingdirectorymodel.h"
 #include "../../model/syncthingdownloadmodel.h"
 #include "../../model/syncthingrecentchangesmodel.h"
+#include "../../model/syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.h"
 #include "../../model/syncthingstatusselectionmodel.h"
 
 #include "../../connector/syncthingconnection.h"
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ class SyncthingApplet : public Plasma::Applet {
     Q_OBJECT
     Q_PROPERTY(Data::SyncthingConnection *connection READ connection NOTIFY connectionChanged)
     Q_PROPERTY(Data::SyncthingDirectoryModel *dirModel READ dirModel NOTIFY dirModelChanged)
+    Q_PROPERTY(Data::SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel *sortFilterDirModel READ sortFilterDirModel NOTIFY dirModelChanged)
     Q_PROPERTY(Data::SyncthingDeviceModel *devModel READ devModel NOTIFY devModelChanged)
     Q_PROPERTY(Data::SyncthingDownloadModel *downloadModel READ downloadModel NOTIFY downloadModelChanged)
     Q_PROPERTY(Data::SyncthingRecentChangesModel *recentChangesModel READ recentChangesModel NOTIFY recentChangesModelChanged)
@@ -71,6 +73,7 @@ public:
 public:
     Data::SyncthingConnection *connection() const;
     Data::SyncthingDirectoryModel *dirModel() const;
+    Data::SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel *sortFilterDirModel() const;
     Data::SyncthingDeviceModel *devModel() const;
     Data::SyncthingDownloadModel *downloadModel() const;
     Data::SyncthingRecentChangesModel *recentChangesModel() const;
@@ -171,6 +174,7 @@ private:
 #endif
     QtGui::StatusInfo m_statusInfo;
     Data::SyncthingDirectoryModel m_dirModel;
+    Data::SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel m_sortFilterDirModel;
     Data::SyncthingDeviceModel m_devModel;
     Data::SyncthingDownloadModel m_downloadModel;
     Data::SyncthingRecentChangesModel m_recentChangesModel;
@@ -196,6 +200,11 @@ inline Data::SyncthingDirectoryModel *SyncthingApplet::dirModel() const
     return const_cast<Data::SyncthingDirectoryModel *>(&m_dirModel);
 }
 
+inline Data::SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel *SyncthingApplet::sortFilterDirModel() const
+{
+    return const_cast<Data::SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel *>(&m_sortFilterDirModel);
+}
+
 inline Data::SyncthingDeviceModel *SyncthingApplet::devModel() const
 {
     return const_cast<Data::SyncthingDeviceModel *>(&m_devModel);
diff --git a/plasmoid/package/contents/ui/DirectoriesPage.qml b/plasmoid/package/contents/ui/DirectoriesPage.qml
index c1603a8..976fee4 100644
--- a/plasmoid/package/contents/ui/DirectoriesPage.qml
+++ b/plasmoid/package/contents/ui/DirectoriesPage.qml
@@ -20,13 +20,7 @@ ColumnLayout {
         TopLevelView {
             id: directoryView
             width: parent.width
-
-            model: PlasmaCore.SortFilterModel {
-                id: directoryFilterModel
-                sourceModel: plasmoid.nativeInterface.dirModel
-                filterRole: "name"
-                filterRegExp: filter.text
-            }
+            model: plasmoid.nativeInterface.sortFilterDirModel
 
             delegate: TopLevelItem {
                 id: item
@@ -37,8 +31,6 @@ ColumnLayout {
                 property alias rescanButton: rescanButton
                 property alias resumePauseButton: resumePauseButton
                 property alias openButton: openButton
-                property int sourceIndex: directoryFilterModel.mapRowToSource(
-                                              index)
 
                 ColumnLayout {
                     width: parent.width
@@ -122,7 +114,7 @@ ColumnLayout {
 
                         model: DelegateModel {
                             model: plasmoid.nativeInterface.dirModel
-                            rootIndex: detailsView.model.modelIndex(sourceIndex)
+                            rootIndex: directoryView.model.mapToSource(directoryView.model.index(index, 0))
                             delegate: DetailItem {
                                 width: detailsView.width
                             }
@@ -185,5 +177,6 @@ ColumnLayout {
         clearButtonShown: true
         Layout.fillWidth: true
         visible: explicitelyShown || text !== ""
+        onTextChanged: directoryView.model.filterRegularExpression = new RegExp(text)
     }
 }
diff --git a/tray/gui/devview.h b/tray/gui/devview.h
index 887cc76..9aab01b 100644
--- a/tray/gui/devview.h
+++ b/tray/gui/devview.h
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ class DevView : public QTreeView {
     Q_OBJECT
 public:
     using ModelType = Data::SyncthingDeviceModel;
+    using SortFilterModelType = void;
 
     DevView(QWidget *parent = nullptr);
 
diff --git a/tray/gui/dirview.cpp b/tray/gui/dirview.cpp
index 885c40f..382ca78 100644
--- a/tray/gui/dirview.cpp
+++ b/tray/gui/dirview.cpp
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 #include "../../connector/syncthingconnection.h"
 #include "../../model/syncthingdirectorymodel.h"
+#include "../../model/syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.h"
 #include "../../widgets/misc/direrrorsdialog.h"
 
 #include <QClipboard>
@@ -30,13 +31,15 @@ void DirView::mouseReleaseEvent(QMouseEvent *event)
 {
     QTreeView::mouseReleaseEvent(event);
 
-    // get SyncthingDir object
-    auto *const dirModel = qobject_cast<SyncthingDirectoryModel *>(model());
+    // get SyncthingDir object for clicked index
+    auto *const sortDirModel = qobject_cast<SortFilterModelType *>(model());
+    auto *const dirModel = qobject_cast<ModelType *>(sortDirModel ? sortDirModel->sourceModel() : model());
     if (!dirModel) {
         return;
     }
-    const QPoint pos(event->pos());
-    const QModelIndex clickedIndex(indexAt(event->pos()));
+    const auto pos = event->pos();
+    const auto clickedProxyIndex = indexAt(event->pos());
+    const auto clickedIndex = sortDirModel ? sortDirModel->mapToSource(clickedProxyIndex) : clickedProxyIndex;
     if (!clickedIndex.isValid() || clickedIndex.column() != 1) {
         return;
     }
@@ -47,7 +50,7 @@ void DirView::mouseReleaseEvent(QMouseEvent *event)
 
     if (!clickedIndex.parent().isValid()) {
         // open/scan dir buttons
-        const QRect itemRect(visualRect(clickedIndex));
+        const QRect itemRect = visualRect(clickedProxyIndex);
         if (pos.x() <= itemRect.right() - 58) {
             return;
         }
diff --git a/tray/gui/dirview.h b/tray/gui/dirview.h
index 7ab35b3..5c7bfdd 100644
--- a/tray/gui/dirview.h
+++ b/tray/gui/dirview.h
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 namespace Data {
 struct SyncthingDir;
 class SyncthingDirectoryModel;
+class SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel;
 } // namespace Data
 
 namespace QtGui {
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ class DirView : public QTreeView {
     Q_OBJECT
 public:
     using ModelType = Data::SyncthingDirectoryModel;
+    using SortFilterModelType = Data::SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel;
 
     DirView(QWidget *parent = nullptr);
 
diff --git a/tray/gui/downloadview.h b/tray/gui/downloadview.h
index 4c255c8..8c69d58 100644
--- a/tray/gui/downloadview.h
+++ b/tray/gui/downloadview.h
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ class DownloadView : public QTreeView {
     Q_OBJECT
 public:
     using ModelType = Data::SyncthingDownloadModel;
+    using SortFilterModelType = void;
 
     DownloadView(QWidget *parent = nullptr);
 
diff --git a/tray/gui/helper.h b/tray/gui/helper.h
index 0cb7772..0547645 100644
--- a/tray/gui/helper.h
+++ b/tray/gui/helper.h
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <QTreeView>
 
 #include <functional>
+#include <type_traits>
 
 QT_FORWARD_DECLARE_CLASS(QPoint)
 QT_FORWARD_DECLARE_CLASS(QMenu)
@@ -42,7 +43,15 @@ template <typename ViewType> SelectedRow<ViewType>::SelectedRow(ViewType *view)
         return;
     }
     index = selectedRows.at(0);
-    model = qobject_cast<typename ViewType::ModelType *>(view->model());
+    if constexpr (std::is_void_v<typename ViewType::SortFilterModelType>) {
+        model = qobject_cast<typename ViewType::ModelType *>(view->model());
+    } else {
+        const auto *const sortFilterModel = qobject_cast<typename ViewType::SortFilterModelType *>(view->model());
+        if (sortFilterModel) {
+            index = sortFilterModel->mapToSource(index);
+            model = qobject_cast<typename ViewType::ModelType *>(sortFilterModel->sourceModel());
+        }
+    }
     if (model) {
         data = model->info(index);
     }
diff --git a/tray/gui/traywidget.cpp b/tray/gui/traywidget.cpp
index c15b853..320c1ad 100644
--- a/tray/gui/traywidget.cpp
+++ b/tray/gui/traywidget.cpp
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ TrayWidget::TrayWidget(TrayMenu *parent)
 #endif
     , m_notifier(m_connection)
     , m_dirModel(m_connection)
+    , m_sortFilterDirModel(&m_dirModel)
     , m_devModel(m_connection)
     , m_dlModel(m_connection)
     , m_recentChangesModel(m_connection)
@@ -86,8 +87,9 @@ TrayWidget::TrayWidget(TrayMenu *parent)
 
     m_ui->setupUi(this);
 
-    // setup model and view
-    m_ui->dirsTreeView->setModel(&m_dirModel);
+    // setup models and views
+    m_ui->dirsTreeView->header()->setSortIndicator(0, Qt::AscendingOrder);
+    m_ui->dirsTreeView->setModel(&m_sortFilterDirModel);
     m_ui->devsTreeView->setModel(&m_devModel);
     m_ui->downloadsTreeView->setModel(&m_dlModel);
     m_ui->recentChangesTreeView->setModel(&m_recentChangesModel);
diff --git a/tray/gui/traywidget.h b/tray/gui/traywidget.h
index 7f821f6..2c6b13e 100644
--- a/tray/gui/traywidget.h
+++ b/tray/gui/traywidget.h
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include "../../model/syncthingdirectorymodel.h"
 #include "../../model/syncthingdownloadmodel.h"
 #include "../../model/syncthingrecentchangesmodel.h"
+#include "../../model/syncthingsortfilterdirectorymodel.h"
 
 #include "../../connector/syncthingconnection.h"
 #include "../../connector/syncthingnotifier.h"
@@ -118,6 +119,7 @@ private:
     Data::SyncthingConnection m_connection;
     Data::SyncthingNotifier m_notifier;
     Data::SyncthingDirectoryModel m_dirModel;
+    Data::SyncthingSortFilterDirectoryModel m_sortFilterDirModel;
     Data::SyncthingDeviceModel m_devModel;
     Data::SyncthingDownloadModel m_dlModel;
     Data::SyncthingRecentChangesModel m_recentChangesModel;
diff --git a/tray/gui/traywidget.ui b/tray/gui/traywidget.ui
index 9957fef..03f2fac 100644
--- a/tray/gui/traywidget.ui
+++ b/tray/gui/traywidget.ui
@@ -403,7 +403,11 @@ For &lt;i&gt;all&lt;/i&gt; notifications, checkout the log</string>
         <number>0</number>
        </property>
        <item>
-        <widget class="QtGui::DirView" name="dirsTreeView"/>
+        <widget class="QtGui::DirView" name="dirsTreeView">
+         <property name="sortingEnabled">
+          <bool>true</bool>
+         </property>
+        </widget>
        </item>
       </layout>
      </widget>