diff --git a/lib/Controller/PageController.php b/lib/Controller/PageController.php
index bd7a1bf5f9..0d099c0800 100644
--- a/lib/Controller/PageController.php
+++ b/lib/Controller/PageController.php
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ public function index(): TemplateResponse {
 			'search-priority-body' => $this->preferences->getPreference($this->currentUserId, 'search-priority-body', 'false'),
 			'start-mailbox-id' => $this->preferences->getPreference($this->currentUserId, 'start-mailbox-id'),
 			'follow-up-reminders' => $this->preferences->getPreference($this->currentUserId, 'follow-up-reminders', 'true'),
+			'sort-favorites' => $this->preferences->getPreference($this->currentUserId, 'sort-favorites', 'false'),
 		]);
 		$this->initialStateService->provideInitialState(
 			'prefill_displayName',
diff --git a/src/components/AppSettingsMenu.vue b/src/components/AppSettingsMenu.vue
index 3aa108668e..eb4d9610d3 100755
--- a/src/components/AppSettingsMenu.vue
+++ b/src/components/AppSettingsMenu.vue
@@ -54,6 +54,13 @@
 						:label="t('mail', 'Show all messages in thread')"
 						:description="t('mail', 'When off, only the selected message will be shown')" />
 				</NcFormBox>
+				<NcFormBox>
+					<NcFormBoxSwitch
+						v-model="sortFavorites"
+						:label="t('mail', 'Sort favorites up')"
+						:disabled="loadingSortFavorites"
+						:description="t('mail', 'When on, favorite messages will be sorted to the top of folders')" />
+				</NcFormBox>
 				<NcRadioGroup v-model="layoutMode" :label="t('mail', 'Layout')">
 					<NcRadioGroupButton :label="t('mail', 'Vertical split')" value="vertical-split">
 						<template #icon>
@@ -348,6 +355,7 @@ export default {
 			internalAddressText: t('mail', 'Highlight external addresses'),
 			toggleAutoTagging: false,
 			loadingFollowUpReminders: false,
+			loadingSortFavorites: false,
 			displaySmimeCertificateModal: false,
 			sortOrder: 'newest',
 			showSettings: false,
@@ -384,6 +392,16 @@ export default {
 			return this.getAccounts.filter((account) => account && account.emailAddress)
 		},
 
+		sortFavorites: {
+			get() {
+				return this.mainStore.getPreference('sort-favorites', 'false') === 'true'
+			},
+
+			set(value) {
+				this.onToggleSortFavorites(value)
+			},
+		},
+
 		searchPriorityBody: {
 			get() {
 				return this.mainStore.getPreference('search-priority-body', 'false') === 'true'
@@ -564,6 +582,21 @@ export default {
 			}
 		},
 
+		async onToggleSortFavorites(enabled) {
+			this.loadingSortFavorites = true
+
+			try {
+				await this.mainStore.savePreference({
+					key: 'sort-favorites',
+					value: enabled ? 'true' : 'false',
+				})
+			} catch (error) {
+				Logger.error('could not save preferences', { error })
+			} finally {
+				this.loadingSortFavorites = false
+			}
+		},
+
 		onToggleCollectData(collect) {
 			this.loadingOptOutSettings = true
 
diff --git a/src/components/MailboxThread.vue b/src/components/MailboxThread.vue
index 4a0a49728d..3b3260836f 100644
--- a/src/components/MailboxThread.vue
+++ b/src/components/MailboxThread.vue
@@ -343,7 +343,14 @@ export default {
 			return envelopes.length > 0
 		},
 
+		sortFavorites() {
+			return this.mainStore.getPreference('sort-favorites', 'false') === 'true'
+		},
+
 		hasFavoriteEnvelopes() {
+			if (!this.sortFavorites) {
+				return false
+			}
 			const envelopes = this.mainStore.getEnvelopes(
 				this.unifiedInbox.databaseId,
 				this.appendToSearch(this.favoriteQuery),
@@ -424,6 +431,14 @@ export default {
 			}
 		},
 
+		sortFavorites(enabled) {
+			if (enabled) {
+				this.searchQuery = this.searchQuery ? 'not:starred' : this.searchQuery + ' not:starred'
+			} else if (this.searchQuery.includes('not:starred')) {
+				this.searchQuery = this.searchQuery.replace('not:starred', '')
+			}
+		},
+
 		async hasFollowUpEnvelopes(value) {
 			if (!value) {
 				return
@@ -444,8 +459,9 @@ export default {
 	},
 
 	async mounted() {
-		// TODO: check the user preference
-		this.searchQuery = 'not:starred'
+		if (this.sortFavorites) {
+			this.searchQuery = 'not:starred'
+		}
 		setTimeout(this.saveStartMailbox, START_MAILBOX_DEBOUNCE)
 		if (this.isThreadShown) {
 			await this.fetchEnvelopes()
@@ -495,8 +511,8 @@ export default {
 			if (this.searchQuery === undefined) {
 				return str
 			}
-			// Todo: adjust once we have the user prefeference
-			if (str === this.favoriteQuery && this.searchQuery.includes('not:starred')) {
+
+			if (this.sortFavorites && str === this.favoriteQuery && this.searchQuery.includes('not:starred')) {
 				return this.searchQuery.replace('not:starred', str)
 			}
 			return this.searchQuery + ' ' + str
diff --git a/src/init.js b/src/init.js
index 80cac5da57..6240254c9e 100644
--- a/src/init.js
+++ b/src/init.js
@@ -52,6 +52,10 @@ export default function initAfterAppCreation() {
 		key: 'search-priority-body',
 		value: preferences['search-priority-body'],
 	})
+	mainStore.savePreferenceMutation({
+		key: 'sort-favorites',
+		value: preferences['sort-favorites'],
+	})
 	const startMailboxId = preferences['start-mailbox-id']
 	mainStore.savePreferenceMutation({
 		key: 'start-mailbox-id',
diff --git a/tests/Unit/Controller/PageControllerTest.php b/tests/Unit/Controller/PageControllerTest.php
index 41c550f3d2..6322272c07 100644
--- a/tests/Unit/Controller/PageControllerTest.php
+++ b/tests/Unit/Controller/PageControllerTest.php
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ public function testIndex(): void {
 		$account1 = $this->createMock(Account::class);
 		$account2 = $this->createMock(Account::class);
 		$mailbox = $this->createMock(Mailbox::class);
-		$this->preferences->expects($this->exactly(12))
+		$this->preferences->expects($this->exactly(13))
 			->method('getPreference')
 			->willReturnMap([
 				[$this->userId, 'account-settings', '[]', json_encode([])],
@@ -185,6 +185,7 @@ public function testIndex(): void {
 				[$this->userId, 'follow-up-reminders', 'true', 'true'],
 				[$this->userId, 'internal-addresses', 'false', 'false'],
 				[$this->userId, 'smime-sign-aliases', '[]', '[]'],
+				[$this->userId, 'sort-favorites', 'false', 'false'],
 			]);
 		$this->accountService->expects($this->once())
 			->method('findByUserId')
@@ -334,6 +335,7 @@ public function testIndex(): void {
 					'layout-mode' => 'vertical-split',
 					'layout-message-view' => 'threaded',
 					'follow-up-reminders' => 'true',
+					'sort-favorites' => 'false'
 				]],
 				['prefill_displayName', 'Jane Doe'],
 				['prefill_email', 'jane@doe.cz'],