diff --git a/internal/app/app.go b/internal/app/app.go
index d776cd5..ed78e5f 100644
--- a/internal/app/app.go
+++ b/internal/app/app.go
@@ -1032,7 +1032,7 @@ func (m Model) startFuzzyFind() (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 
 func (m Model) startView() (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 	e := m.activePanel().CurrentEntry()
-	if e == nil || e.IsDir() {
+	if e == nil || e.IsDir() || m.activePanel().IsSymlinkToDir(e) {
 		return m, nil
 	}
 	if !m.activePanel().IsLocal() {
@@ -1047,7 +1047,7 @@ func (m Model) startView() (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 
 func (m Model) startEdit() (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 	e := m.activePanel().CurrentEntry()
-	if e == nil || e.IsDir() {
+	if e == nil || e.IsDir() || m.activePanel().IsSymlinkToDir(e) {
 		return m, nil
 	}
 	if !m.activePanel().IsLocal() {
@@ -1297,7 +1297,7 @@ func (m *Model) syncQuickView() tea.Cmd {
 		return nil
 	}
 	entry := p.CurrentEntry()
-	isDir := entry != nil && entry.IsDir()
+	isDir := entry != nil && (entry.IsDir() || p.IsSymlinkToDir(entry))
 	// Archive entries have no readable stream; local and remote both do.
 	available := p.Location().Kind != vfs.KindArchive
 	// A remote file comes back as a quickview.FileLoadedMsg.
diff --git a/internal/ui/panel/panel.go b/internal/ui/panel/panel.go
index cca4496..142f4e1 100644
--- a/internal/ui/panel/panel.go
+++ b/internal/ui/panel/panel.go
@@ -155,6 +155,20 @@ func (m Model) InArchive() bool {
 	return m.Location().Kind == vfs.KindArchive
 }
 
+// IsSymlinkToDir returns whether e is a symlink that resolves to a directory.
+func (m Model) IsSymlinkToDir(e fs.DirEntry) bool {
+	if m.InArchive() || e.Type()&fs.ModeSymlink == 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+	info, err := m.Location().FS.Stat(m.CurrentPath())
+	return err == nil && info.IsDir()
+}
+
+// IsDirLike reports whether e behaves like a directory (real dir or symlink-to-dir).
+func IsDirLike(m *Model, e fs.DirEntry) bool {
+	return e.IsDir() || m.IsSymlinkToDir(e)
+}
+
 // LocationLabel is the display string for a nested location, or "".
 func (m Model) LocationLabel() string {
 	return m.Location().Label
@@ -277,7 +291,7 @@ func (m *Model) HandleDirLoaded(msg DirLoadedMsg) {
 		all = append(all, e)
 	}
 
-	SortEntries(all, m.sortMode)
+	SortEntries(all, m.sortMode, func(e fs.DirEntry) bool { return IsDirLike(m, e) })
 	m.entries = all
 
 	// Cache FileInfo
@@ -442,7 +456,7 @@ func (m *Model) handleEnter() tea.Cmd {
 	if e == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-	if e.IsDir() {
+	if e.IsDir() || m.IsSymlinkToDir(e) {
 		return m.enterDir()
 	}
 
@@ -466,7 +480,7 @@ func (m *Model) handleEnter() tea.Cmd {
 
 func (m *Model) handleSpace() tea.Cmd {
 	e := m.CurrentEntry()
-	if e == nil || e.IsDir() || !m.IsLocal() {
+	if e == nil || IsDirLike(m, e) || !m.IsLocal() {
 		return nil
 	}
 	// Space on file = preview
@@ -496,7 +510,7 @@ func (m *Model) enterDir() tea.Cmd {
 	if e == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-	if !e.IsDir() {
+	if !e.IsDir() && !m.IsSymlinkToDir(e) {
 		return nil
 	}
 	if e.Name() == ".." {
@@ -624,7 +638,7 @@ func (m *Model) InvertSelection() {
 // ChangeSortMode cycles to the next sort mode and re-sorts.
 func (m *Model) ChangeSortMode() {
 	m.sortMode = (m.sortMode + 1) % 4
-	SortEntries(m.entries, m.sortMode)
+	SortEntries(m.entries, m.sortMode, func(e fs.DirEntry) bool { return IsDirLike(m, e) })
 }
 
 // parentEntry is a synthetic ".." directory entry.
diff --git a/internal/ui/panel/panel_test.go b/internal/ui/panel/panel_test.go
index 77ab529..1eb7cb4 100644
--- a/internal/ui/panel/panel_test.go
+++ b/internal/ui/panel/panel_test.go
@@ -254,3 +254,43 @@ func (e *nameOnlyEntry) IsDir() bool               { return e.isDir }
 func (e *nameOnlyEntry) Type() fs.FileMode         { return 0 }
 func (e *nameOnlyEntry) Info() (fs.FileInfo, error) { return nil, nil }
 func (e *nameOnlyEntry) String() string            { return e.name }
+
+// symlinkToDirEntry is a minimal fs.DirEntry that behaves like a directory but
+// reports IsDir=false (same as os.ReadDir on a symlink-to-dir).
+type symlinkToDirEntry struct {
+	nameOnlyEntry
+}
+
+func (e *symlinkToDirEntry) Type() fs.FileMode { return fs.ModeSymlink }
+
+func TestSortEntriesSymlinkGroupsWithDirs(t *testing.T) {
+	entries := []fs.DirEntry{
+		&nameOnlyEntry{name: "b.txt", isDir: false},
+		&nameOnlyEntry{name: "a.txt", isDir: false},
+		&symlinkToDirEntry{nameOnlyEntry{name: "d-link"}},
+		&nameOnlyEntry{name: "c.txt", isDir: false},
+		&nameOnlyEntry{name: "real-dir", isDir: true},
+		&nameOnlyEntry{name: "a-dir", isDir: true},
+	}
+	SortEntries(entries, SortByName, func(e fs.DirEntry) bool {
+		if e.Type()&fs.ModeSymlink != 0 {
+			return true // simulated symlink-to-dir: group with dirs
+		}
+		return e.IsDir()
+	})
+
+	if got := entries[0].Name(); got != "a-dir" {
+		t.Errorf("first = %q, want dir", got)
+	}
+	if got := entries[1].Name(); got != "d-link" {
+		t.Errorf("second = %q, want symlink-to-dir grouped with dirs", got)
+	}
+	if got := entries[2].Name(); got != "real-dir" {
+		t.Errorf("third = %q, want dir", got)
+	}
+	for i, name := range []string{"a-dir", "d-link", "real-dir"} {
+		if entries[i].Name() != name {
+			t.Errorf("entries[%d] = %q, want %q", i, entries[i].Name(), name)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/ui/panel/panel_view.go b/internal/ui/panel/panel_view.go
index c84ed0b..c3ba809 100644
--- a/internal/ui/panel/panel_view.go
+++ b/internal/ui/panel/panel_view.go
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ func (m Model) renderRow(idx, width int, th theme.Theme) string {
 	info := m.infos[idx]
 
 	name := entry.Name()
-	isDir := entry.IsDir()
+	isDir := IsDirLike(&m, entry)
 	isCursor := idx == m.cursor && m.active
 	isSelected := m.selected[idx]
 
diff --git a/internal/ui/panel/sort.go b/internal/ui/panel/sort.go
index ee166a7..c67c613 100644
--- a/internal/ui/panel/sort.go
+++ b/internal/ui/panel/sort.go
@@ -17,7 +17,10 @@ const (
 )
 
 // SortEntries sorts directory entries. Directories always come first.
-func SortEntries(entries []fs.DirEntry, mode SortMode) {
+// isDir classifies an entry as directory-like; callers should use it for both
+// real directories and symlinks that resolve to directories so those sort into
+// the same group.
+func SortEntries(entries []fs.DirEntry, mode SortMode, isDir func(fs.DirEntry) bool) {
 	sort.SliceStable(entries, func(i, j int) bool {
 		a, b := entries[i], entries[j]
 
@@ -30,8 +33,8 @@ func SortEntries(entries []fs.DirEntry, mode SortMode) {
 		}
 
 		// Directories before files
-		aDir := a.IsDir()
-		bDir := b.IsDir()
+		aDir := isDir(a)
+		bDir := isDir(b)
 		if aDir != bDir {
 			return aDir
 		}