diff --git a/packages/sanity/src/desk/panes/documentList/DocumentListPane.tsx b/packages/sanity/src/desk/panes/documentList/DocumentListPane.tsx
index 91acb3a4384..9f376b44937 100644
--- a/packages/sanity/src/desk/panes/documentList/DocumentListPane.tsx
+++ b/packages/sanity/src/desk/panes/documentList/DocumentListPane.tsx
@@ -55,10 +55,16 @@ export const DocumentListPane = memo(function DocumentListPane(props: DocumentLi
     'layout',
     defaultLayout
   )
+
+  // Ensure that we use the defaultOrdering value from structure builder if any as the default
+  const defaultSortOrder = useMemo(() => {
+    return defaultOrdering?.length > 0 ? {by: defaultOrdering} : DEFAULT_ORDERING
+  }, [])
+
   const [sortOrderRaw, setSortOrder] = useDeskToolSetting<SortOrder>(
     typeName,
     'sortOrder',
-    DEFAULT_ORDERING
+    defaultSortOrder
   )
 
   const sortWithOrderingFn =
diff --git a/packages/sanity/src/desk/panes/documentList/useDocumentList.ts b/packages/sanity/src/desk/panes/documentList/useDocumentList.ts
index 3f12bcc8e81..08af4c08451 100644
--- a/packages/sanity/src/desk/panes/documentList/useDocumentList.ts
+++ b/packages/sanity/src/desk/panes/documentList/useDocumentList.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ interface DocumentListState {
  * @internal
  */
 export function useDocumentList(opts: UseDocumentListOpts): DocumentListState {
-  const {apiVersion, defaultOrdering, filter, params, sortOrder} = opts
+  const {apiVersion, filter, params, sortOrder} = opts
   const client = useClient(DEFAULT_STUDIO_CLIENT_OPTIONS)
   const [fullList, setFullList] = useState(false)
   const fullListRef = useRef(fullList)
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export function useDocumentList(opts: UseDocumentListOpts): DocumentListState {
     const extendedProjection = sortOrder?.extendedProjection
     const projectionFields = ['_id', '_type']
     const finalProjection = projectionFields.join(',')
-    const sortBy = defaultOrdering || sortOrder?.by || []
+    const sortBy = sortOrder?.by || []
     const limit = fullList ? FULL_LIST_LIMIT : PARTIAL_PAGE_LIMIT
     const sort = sortBy.length > 0 ? sortBy : DEFAULT_ORDERING.by
     const order = toOrderClause(sort)
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ export function useDocumentList(opts: UseDocumentListOpts): DocumentListState {
     }
 
     return `*[${filter}]|order(${order})[0...${limit}]{${finalProjection}}`
-  }, [defaultOrdering, filter, fullList, sortOrder])
+  }, [filter, fullList, sortOrder])
 
   const handleListChange = useCallback(
     ({toIndex}: VirtualListChangeOpts) => {