diff --git a/src/commands/sort_by.rs b/src/commands/sort_by.rs
index f11ff36927..7f6c6a51af 100644
--- a/src/commands/sort_by.rs
+++ b/src/commands/sort_by.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use crate::commands::WholeStreamCommand;
 use crate::prelude::*;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
-use nu_protocol::{Signature, SyntaxShape, Value};
+use nu_protocol::{Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value};
 use nu_source::Tagged;
 use nu_value_ext::get_data_by_key;
 
@@ -41,12 +41,26 @@ fn sort_by(
     Ok(OutputStream::new(async_stream! {
         let mut vec = context.input.drain_vec().await;
 
-        let calc_key = |item: &Value| {
-            rest.iter()
-                .map(|f| get_data_by_key(item, f.borrow_spanned()).map(|i| i.clone()))
-                .collect::<Vec<Option<Value>>>()
+        if vec.is_empty() {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        match &vec[0] {
+            Value {
+                value: UntaggedValue::Primitive(_),
+                ..
+            } => {
+                vec.sort();
+            },
+            _ => {
+                let calc_key = |item: &Value| {
+                    rest.iter()
+                        .map(|f| get_data_by_key(item, f.borrow_spanned()))
+                        .collect::<Vec<Option<Value>>>()
+                };
+                vec.sort_by_cached_key(calc_key);
+            },
         };
-        vec.sort_by_cached_key(calc_key);
 
         for item in vec {
             yield item.into();
diff --git a/tests/commands/sort_by.rs b/tests/commands/sort_by.rs
index 4c39b14521..56ea84bcfa 100644
--- a/tests/commands/sort_by.rs
+++ b/tests/commands/sort_by.rs
@@ -21,3 +21,21 @@ fn by_column() {
 
     assert_eq!(actual, "description");
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn sort_primitive_values() {
+    let actual = nu!(
+        cwd: "tests/fixtures/formats", pipeline(
+        r#"
+            open cargo_sample.toml --raw
+            | lines
+            | skip 1
+            | first 6
+            | sort-by
+            | first 1
+            | echo $it
+        "#
+    ));
+
+    assert_eq!(actual, "authors = [\"Yehuda Katz <wycats@gmail.com>\"]");
+}