diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Services/ContentService.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Services/ContentService.cs
index 76a817b63c..40b350cf15 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Services/ContentService.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/Services/ContentService.cs
@@ -2006,6 +2006,96 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Services
                 }
             }
 
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Sorts a collection of <see cref="IContent"/> objects by updating the SortOrder according
+        /// to the ordering of node Ids passed in.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <remarks>
+        /// Using this method will ensure that the Published-state is maintained upon sorting
+        /// so the cache is updated accordingly - as needed.
+        /// </remarks>
+        /// <param name="ids"></param>
+        /// <param name="userId"></param>
+        /// <param name="raiseEvents"></param>
+        /// <returns>True if sorting succeeded, otherwise False</returns>
+        public bool Sort(int[] ids, int userId = 0, bool raiseEvents = true)
+        {
+            var shouldBePublished = new List<IContent>();
+            var shouldBeSaved = new List<IContent>();
+
+            using (new WriteLock(Locker))
+            {
+                var allContent = GetByIds(ids).ToDictionary(x => x.Id, x => x);
+                var items = ids.Select(x => allContent[x]);
+
+                using (var uow = UowProvider.GetUnitOfWork())
+                {
+                    var asArray = items.ToArray();
+                    var saveEventArgs = new SaveEventArgs<IContent>(asArray);
+                    if (raiseEvents && uow.Events.DispatchCancelable(Saving, this, saveEventArgs))
+                    {
+                        uow.Commit();
+                        return false;
+                    }
+
+                    var repository = RepositoryFactory.CreateContentRepository(uow);
+
+                    var i = 0;
+                    foreach (var content in asArray)
+                    {
+                        //If the current sort order equals that of the content
+                        //we don't need to update it, so just increment the sort order
+                        //and continue.
+                        if (content.SortOrder == i)
+                        {
+                            i++;
+                            continue;
+                        }
+
+                        content.SortOrder = i;
+                        content.WriterId = userId;
+                        i++;
+
+                        if (content.Published)
+                        {
+                            //TODO: This should not be an inner operation, but if we do this, it cannot raise events and cannot be cancellable!
+                            var published = _publishingStrategy.Publish(uow, content, userId).Success;
+                            shouldBePublished.Add(content);
+                        }
+                        else
+                            shouldBeSaved.Add(content);
+
+                        repository.AddOrUpdate(content);
+                        //add or update a preview
+                        repository.AddOrUpdatePreviewXml(content, c => _entitySerializer.Serialize(this, _dataTypeService, _userService, c));
+                    }
+
+                    foreach (var content in shouldBePublished)
+                    {
+                        //Create and Save ContentXml DTO
+                        repository.AddOrUpdateContentXml(content, c => _entitySerializer.Serialize(this, _dataTypeService, _userService, c));
+                    }
+
+                    if (raiseEvents)
+                    {
+                        saveEventArgs.CanCancel = false;
+                        uow.Events.Dispatch(Saved, this, saveEventArgs);
+                    }
+
+                    if (shouldBePublished.Any())
+                    {
+                        //TODO: This should not be an inner operation, but if we do this, it cannot raise events and cannot be cancellable!
+                        _publishingStrategy.PublishingFinalized(uow, shouldBePublished, false);
+                    }
+
+                    Audit(uow, AuditType.Sort, "Sorting content performed by user", userId, 0);
+                    uow.Commit();
+                }
+            }
+
             return true;
         }
 
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Services/IContentService.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Services/IContentService.cs
index 7a5c64c0c0..14ef94bd7a 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Services/IContentService.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/Services/IContentService.cs
@@ -642,7 +642,21 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Services
         /// <param name="userId"></param>
         /// <param name="raiseEvents"></param>
         /// <returns>True if sorting succeeded, otherwise False</returns>
-        bool Sort(IEnumerable<IContent> items, int userId = 0, bool raiseEvents = true);
+        bool Sort(IEnumerable<IContent> items, int userId = 0, bool raiseEvents = true);
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Sorts a collection of <see cref="IContent"/> objects by updating the SortOrder according
+        /// to the ordering of node Ids passed in.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <remarks>
+        /// Using this method will ensure that the Published-state is maintained upon sorting
+        /// so the cache is updated accordingly - as needed.
+        /// </remarks>
+        /// <param name="ids"></param>
+        /// <param name="userId"></param>
+        /// <param name="raiseEvents"></param>
+        /// <returns>True if sorting succeeded, otherwise False</returns>
+        bool Sort(int[] ids, int userId = 0, bool raiseEvents = true);
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets the parent of the current content as an <see cref="IContent"/> item.
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/ContentController.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/ContentController.cs
index d53ee84e7c..6b3a73f5df 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/ContentController.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/ContentController.cs
@@ -792,11 +792,8 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Editors
             {
                 var contentService = Services.ContentService;
 
-                // content service GetByIds does order the content items based on the order of Ids passed in
-                var content = contentService.GetByIds(sorted.IdSortOrder);
-
                 // Save content with new sort order and update content xml in db accordingly
-                if (contentService.Sort(content) == false)
+                if (contentService.Sort(sorted.IdSortOrder) == false)
                 {
                     LogHelper.Warn<ContentController>("Content sorting failed, this was probably caused by an event being cancelled");
                     return Request.CreateValidationErrorResponse("Content sorting failed, this was probably caused by an event being cancelled");
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/umbraco.presentation/umbraco/webservices/nodeSorter.asmx.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/umbraco.presentation/umbraco/webservices/nodeSorter.asmx.cs
index 505d715c3e..e7603abe2e 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/umbraco.presentation/umbraco/webservices/nodeSorter.asmx.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/umbraco.presentation/umbraco/webservices/nodeSorter.asmx.cs
@@ -175,13 +175,16 @@ namespace umbraco.presentation.webservices
         {
             var contentService = ApplicationContext.Services.ContentService;
             try
-            {
-                var intIds = ids.Select(int.Parse).ToArray();
-                var allContent = contentService.GetByIds(intIds).ToDictionary(x => x.Id, x => x);
-                var sortedContent = intIds.Select(x => allContent[x]);
-
+            {
                 // Save content with new sort order and update db+cache accordingly
-                var sorted = contentService.Sort(sortedContent);
+                var intIds = new List<int>();
+                foreach (var stringId in ids)
+                {
+                    int intId;
+                    if (int.TryParse(stringId, out intId))
+                        intIds.Add(intId);
+                }
+                var sorted = contentService.Sort(intIds.ToArray());
 
                 // refresh sort order on cached xml
                 // but no... this is not distributed - solely relying on content service & events should be enough