diff --git a/rslib/src/notes.rs b/rslib/src/notes.rs
index 212e51c1e..99efb9410 100644
--- a/rslib/src/notes.rs
+++ b/rslib/src/notes.rs
@@ -40,9 +40,10 @@ impl Note {
     }
 }
 
+/// Text must be passed to strip_html_preserving_image_filenames() by
+/// caller prior to passing in here.
 pub(crate) fn field_checksum(text: &str) -> u32 {
-    let text = strip_html_preserving_image_filenames(text);
-    let digest = sha1::Sha1::from(text.as_ref()).digest().bytes();
+    let digest = sha1::Sha1::from(text).digest().bytes();
     u32::from_be_bytes(digest[..4].try_into().unwrap())
 }
 
@@ -119,15 +120,20 @@ pub(super) fn set_note(db: &Connection, note: &mut Note, note_type: &NoteType) -
     note.mtime_secs = i64_unix_secs();
     // hard-coded for now
     note.usn = -1;
-    let csum = field_checksum(&note.fields()[0]);
-    let sort_field = strip_html_preserving_image_filenames(
-        note.fields()
-            .get(note_type.sort_field_idx as usize)
-            .ok_or_else(|| AnkiError::DBError {
-                info: "sort field out of range".to_string(),
-                kind: DBErrorKind::MissingEntity,
-            })?,
-    );
+    let field1_nohtml = strip_html_preserving_image_filenames(&note.fields()[0]);
+    let csum = field_checksum(field1_nohtml.as_ref());
+    let sort_field = if note_type.sort_field_idx == 0 {
+        field1_nohtml
+    } else {
+        strip_html_preserving_image_filenames(
+            note.fields()
+                .get(note_type.sort_field_idx as usize)
+                .ok_or_else(|| AnkiError::DBError {
+                    info: "sort field out of range".to_string(),
+                    kind: DBErrorKind::MissingEntity,
+                })?,
+        )
+    };
 
     let mut stmt =
         db.prepare_cached("update notes set mod=?,usn=?,flds=?,sfld=?,csum=? where id=?")?;
diff --git a/rslib/src/search/searcher.rs b/rslib/src/search/searcher.rs
index 9a2c67e96..4a3978724 100644
--- a/rslib/src/search/searcher.rs
+++ b/rslib/src/search/searcher.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@
 use super::parser::{Node, PropertyKind, SearchNode, StateKind, TemplateKind};
 use crate::card::CardQueue;
 use crate::notes::field_checksum;
-use crate::{collection::RequestContext, types::ObjID};
+use crate::{
+    collection::RequestContext, text::strip_html_preserving_image_filenames, types::ObjID,
+};
 use rusqlite::types::ToSqlOutput;
 use std::fmt::Write;
 
@@ -240,7 +242,8 @@ fn write_single_field(ctx: &mut SearchContext, field: &str, val: &str) {
 }
 
 fn write_dupes(ctx: &mut SearchContext, ntid: &ObjID, text: &str) {
-    let csum = field_checksum(text);
+    let text_nohtml = strip_html_preserving_image_filenames(text);
+    let csum = field_checksum(text_nohtml.as_ref());
     write!(
         ctx.sql,
         "(n.mid = {} and n.csum = {} and field_at_index(n.flds, 0) = ?",