diff --git a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/migrations/migrations.js b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/migrations/migrations.js
index 40e3e8a5e88d0..bd4340dbadb0f 100644
--- a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/migrations/migrations.js
+++ b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/migrations/migrations.js
@@ -365,6 +365,24 @@ function replaceMovAvgToMovFn(doc, logger) {
   return doc;
 }
 
+function migrateSearchSortToNestedArray(doc) {
+  const sort = get(doc, 'attributes.sort');
+  if (!sort) return doc;
+
+  // Don't do anything if we already have a two dimensional array
+  if (Array.isArray(sort) && sort.length > 0 && Array.isArray(sort[0])) {
+    return doc;
+  }
+
+  return {
+    ...doc,
+    attributes: {
+      ...doc.attributes,
+      sort: [doc.attributes.sort],
+    }
+  };
+}
+
 const executeMigrations720 = flow(
   migratePercentileRankAggregation,
   migrateDateHistogramAggregation
@@ -376,6 +394,10 @@ const executeMigrations730 = flow(
   replaceMovAvgToMovFn
 );
 
+const executeSearchMigrations740 = flow(
+  migrateSearchSortToNestedArray,
+);
+
 export const migrations = {
   'index-pattern': {
     '6.5.0': doc => {
@@ -530,5 +552,6 @@ export const migrations = {
       migrateIndexPattern(doc);
       return doc;
     },
+    '7.4.0': executeSearchMigrations740,
   },
 };
diff --git a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/migrations/migrations.test.js b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/migrations/migrations.test.js
index 37a9006f9eeb9..0776b6028641f 100644
--- a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/migrations/migrations.test.js
+++ b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/migrations/migrations.test.js
@@ -1788,4 +1788,56 @@ Object {
       /* eslint-enable max-len */
     });
   });
+
+  describe('7.4.0', function () {
+    const migration = migrations.search['7.4.0'];
+
+    test('transforms one dimensional sort arrays into two dimensional arrays', () => {
+      const doc = {
+        id: '123',
+        type: 'search',
+        attributes: {
+          sort: ['bytes', 'desc'],
+        },
+      };
+
+      const expected = {
+        id: '123',
+        type: 'search',
+        attributes: {
+          sort: [['bytes', 'desc']],
+        },
+      };
+
+      const migratedDoc = migration(doc);
+
+      expect(migratedDoc).toEqual(expected);
+    });
+
+    test('doesn\'t modify search docs that already have two dimensional sort arrays', () => {
+      const doc = {
+        id: '123',
+        type: 'search',
+        attributes: {
+          sort: [['bytes', 'desc']],
+        },
+      };
+
+      const migratedDoc = migration(doc);
+
+      expect(migratedDoc).toEqual(doc);
+    });
+
+    test('doesn\'t modify search docs that have no sort array', () => {
+      const doc = {
+        id: '123',
+        type: 'search',
+        attributes: {},
+      };
+
+      const migratedDoc = migration(doc);
+
+      expect(migratedDoc).toEqual(doc);
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/doc_table/__tests__/lib/get_sort.js b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/doc_table/__tests__/lib/get_sort.js
index b8b962b9f92d7..18d4d1298d83d 100644
--- a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/doc_table/__tests__/lib/get_sort.js
+++ b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/doc_table/__tests__/lib/get_sort.js
@@ -38,11 +38,15 @@ describe('docTable', function () {
       expect(getSort).to.be.a(Function);
     });
 
-    it('should return an array of objects if passed a 2 item array', function () {
-      expect(getSort(['bytes', 'desc'], indexPattern)).to.eql([{ bytes: 'desc' }]);
+    it('should return an array of objects', function () {
+      expect(getSort([['bytes', 'desc']], indexPattern)).to.eql([{ bytes: 'desc' }]);
 
       delete indexPattern.timeFieldName;
-      expect(getSort(['bytes', 'desc'], indexPattern)).to.eql([{ bytes: 'desc' }]);
+      expect(getSort([['bytes', 'desc']], indexPattern)).to.eql([{ bytes: 'desc' }]);
+    });
+
+    it('should passthrough arrays of objects', () => {
+      expect(getSort([{ bytes: 'desc' }], indexPattern)).to.eql([{ bytes: 'desc' }]);
     });
 
     it('should sort by the default when passed an unsortable field', function () {
@@ -74,7 +78,26 @@ describe('docTable', function () {
     });
 
     it('should return an array of arrays for sortable fields', function () {
-      expect(getSort.array(['bytes', 'desc'], indexPattern)).to.eql([[ 'bytes', 'desc' ]]);
+      expect(getSort.array([['bytes', 'desc']], indexPattern)).to.eql([[ 'bytes', 'desc' ]]);
+    });
+
+    it('should return an array of arrays from an array of elasticsearch sort objects', function () {
+      expect(getSort.array([{ bytes: 'desc' }], indexPattern)).to.eql([[ 'bytes', 'desc' ]]);
+    });
+
+    it('should sort by the default when passed an unsortable field', function () {
+      expect(getSort.array([{ 'non-sortable': 'asc' }], indexPattern)).to.eql([['time', 'desc']]);
+      expect(getSort.array([{ lol_nope: 'asc' }], indexPattern)).to.eql([['time', 'desc']]);
+
+      delete indexPattern.timeFieldName;
+      expect(getSort.array([{ 'non-sortable': 'asc' }], indexPattern)).to.eql([[ '_score', 'desc' ]]);
+    });
+
+    it('should sort by the default when passed an empty sort', () => {
+      expect(getSort.array([], indexPattern)).to.eql([['time', 'desc']]);
+
+      delete indexPattern.timeFieldName;
+      expect(getSort.array([], indexPattern)).to.eql([[ '_score', 'desc' ]]);
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/doc_table/lib/get_sort.js b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/doc_table/lib/get_sort.js
index 9aba887569dbf..0af57c158e21a 100644
--- a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/doc_table/lib/get_sort.js
+++ b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/doc_table/lib/get_sort.js
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ function createSortObject(sortPair, indexPattern) {
     const [ field, direction ] = sortPair;
     return { [field]: direction };
   }
+  else if (_.isPlainObject(sortPair) && isSortable(Object.keys(sortPair)[0], indexPattern)) {
+    return sortPair;
+  }
   else {
     return undefined;
   }
@@ -36,7 +39,8 @@ function createSortObject(sortPair, indexPattern) {
 
 /**
  * Take a sorting array and make it into an object
- * @param {array} sort 2 item array [fieldToSort, directionToSort]
+ * @param {array} sort two dimensional array [[fieldToSort, directionToSort]]
+ *  or an array of objects [{fieldToSort: directionToSort}]
  * @param {object} indexPattern used for determining default sort
  * @returns {object} a sort object suitable for returning to elasticsearch
  */
@@ -44,9 +48,6 @@ export function getSort(sort, indexPattern, defaultSortOrder = 'desc') {
 
   let sortObjects;
   if (Array.isArray(sort)) {
-    if (sort.length > 0 && !Array.isArray(sort[0])) {
-      sort = [sort];
-    }
     sortObjects = _.compact(sort.map((sortPair) => createSortObject(sortPair, indexPattern)));
   }
 
diff --git a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/embeddable/search_embeddable.ts b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/embeddable/search_embeddable.ts
index 576abc5427a92..8288e3d1d1d7a 100644
--- a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/embeddable/search_embeddable.ts
+++ b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/embeddable/search_embeddable.ts
@@ -45,11 +45,11 @@ import { ISearchEmbeddable, SearchInput, SearchOutput } from './types';
 interface SearchScope extends ng.IScope {
   columns?: string[];
   description?: string;
-  sort?: string[] | string[][];
+  sort?: string[][];
   searchSource?: SearchSource;
   sharedItemTitle?: string;
   inspectorAdapters?: Adapters;
-  setSortOrder?: (sortPair: [string, string]) => void;
+  setSortOrder?: (sortPair: [[string, string]]) => void;
   removeColumn?: (column: string) => void;
   addColumn?: (column: string) => void;
   moveColumn?: (column: string, index: number) => void;
@@ -264,9 +264,6 @@ export class SearchEmbeddable extends Embeddable<SearchInput, SearchOutput>
     // been overridden in a dashboard.
     searchScope.columns = this.input.columns || this.savedSearch.columns;
     searchScope.sort = this.input.sort || this.savedSearch.sort;
-    if (searchScope.sort.length && !Array.isArray(searchScope.sort[0])) {
-      searchScope.sort = [searchScope.sort];
-    }
     searchScope.sharedItemTitle = this.panelTitle;
 
     if (
diff --git a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/embeddable/types.ts b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/embeddable/types.ts
index 5791216acde41..43648d575014e 100644
--- a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/embeddable/types.ts
+++ b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/embeddable/types.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ export interface SearchInput extends EmbeddableInput {
   filters?: Filter[];
   hidePanelTitles?: boolean;
   columns?: string[];
-  sort?: string[];
+  sort?: string[][];
 }
 
 export interface SearchOutput extends EmbeddableOutput {
diff --git a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/types.d.ts b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/types.d.ts
index 5922e2f8532fa..6de969888f166 100644
--- a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/types.d.ts
+++ b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/discover/types.d.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export interface SavedSearch {
   searchSource: SearchSource;
   description?: string;
   columns: string[];
-  sort: string[];
+  sort: string[][];
   destroy: () => void;
 }
 export interface SavedSearchLoader {
diff --git a/src/legacy/server/sample_data/data_sets/ecommerce/saved_objects.js b/src/legacy/server/sample_data/data_sets/ecommerce/saved_objects.js
index ac7a5e80c45a1..87a1f1c9ece47 100644
--- a/src/legacy/server/sample_data/data_sets/ecommerce/saved_objects.js
+++ b/src/legacy/server/sample_data/data_sets/ecommerce/saved_objects.js
@@ -212,10 +212,10 @@ export const getSavedObjects = () => [
         "taxful_total_price",
         "total_quantity"
       ],
-      "sort": [
+      "sort": [[
         "order_date",
         "desc"
-      ],
+      ]],
       "version": 1,
       "kibanaSavedObjectMeta": {
         "searchSourceJSON": "{\"index\":\"ff959d40-b880-11e8-a6d9-e546fe2bba5f\",\"highlightAll\":true,\"version\":true,\"query\":{\"query\":\"\",\"language\":\"kuery\"},\"filter\":[]}"
diff --git a/src/legacy/server/sample_data/data_sets/flights/saved_objects.js b/src/legacy/server/sample_data/data_sets/flights/saved_objects.js
index 726beeeb83227..5157e19df593e 100644
--- a/src/legacy/server/sample_data/data_sets/flights/saved_objects.js
+++ b/src/legacy/server/sample_data/data_sets/flights/saved_objects.js
@@ -84,10 +84,10 @@ export const getSavedObjects = () => [
         "Cancelled",
         "FlightDelayType"
       ],
-      "sort": [
+      "sort": [[
         "timestamp",
         "desc"
-      ],
+      ]],
       "version": 1,
       "kibanaSavedObjectMeta": {
         "searchSourceJSON": "{\"index\":\"d3d7af60-4c81-11e8-b3d7-01146121b73d\",\"highlightAll\":true,\"version\":true,\"query\":{\"language\":\"kuery\",\"query\":\"\"},\"filter\":[]}"