diff --git a/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTable.tsx b/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTable.tsx
index aafbf21cb32..f482d33b311 100644
--- a/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTable.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTable.tsx
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ export function LogsTable(props: Props) {
 
   const prepareTableFrame = useCallback(
     (frame: DataFrame): DataFrame => {
+      if (!frame.length) {
+        return frame;
+      }
       // Parse the dataframe to a logFrame
       const logsFrame = parseLogsFrame(frame);
       const timeIndex = logsFrame?.timeField.index;
diff --git a/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableNavColumn.tsx b/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableNavColumn.tsx
index 3540f54f8a9..242af7a0213 100644
--- a/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableNavColumn.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableNavColumn.tsx
@@ -33,6 +33,65 @@ function getStyles(theme: GrafanaTheme2) {
   };
 }
 
+function sortLabels(labels: Record<string, fieldNameMeta>) {
+  return (a: string, b: string) => {
+    // First sort by active
+    if (labels[a].active && labels[b].active) {
+      // If both fields are active, sort time first
+      if (labels[a]?.type === 'TIME_FIELD') {
+        return -1;
+      }
+      if (labels[b]?.type === 'TIME_FIELD') {
+        return 1;
+      }
+      // And then line second
+      if (labels[a]?.type === 'BODY_FIELD') {
+        return -1;
+      }
+      // special fields are next
+      if (labels[b]?.type === 'BODY_FIELD') {
+        return 1;
+      }
+    }
+
+    // If just one label is active, sort it first
+    if (labels[b].active) {
+      return 1;
+    }
+    if (labels[a].active) {
+      return -1;
+    }
+
+    // If both fields are special, and not selected, sort time first
+    if (labels[a]?.type && labels[b]?.type) {
+      if (labels[a]?.type === 'TIME_FIELD') {
+        return -1;
+      }
+      return 0;
+    }
+
+    // If only one special field, stick to the top of inactive fields
+    if (labels[a]?.type && !labels[b]?.type) {
+      return -1;
+    }
+    // if the b field is special, sort it first
+    if (!labels[a]?.type && labels[b]?.type) {
+      return 1;
+    }
+
+    // Finally sort by percent enabled, this could have conflicts with the special fields above, except they are always on 100% of logs
+    if (a < b) {
+      return -1;
+    }
+    if (a > b) {
+      return 1;
+    }
+
+    // otherwise do not sort
+    return 0;
+  };
+}
+
 export const LogsTableNavColumn = (props: {
   labels: Record<string, fieldNameMeta>;
   valueFilter: (value: number) => boolean;
@@ -45,7 +104,7 @@ export const LogsTableNavColumn = (props: {
   if (labelKeys.length) {
     return (
       <div className={styles.columnWrapper}>
-        {labelKeys.map((labelName) => (
+        {labelKeys.sort(sortLabels(labels)).map((labelName) => (
           <div className={styles.wrap} key={labelName}>
             <Checkbox
               className={styles.checkbox}
diff --git a/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableWrap.test.tsx b/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableWrap.test.tsx
index 0d6ebdf5fb0..c6e574dc5e6 100644
--- a/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableWrap.test.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableWrap.test.tsx
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ describe('LogsTableWrap', () => {
       checkboxLabel.click();
       expect(updatePanelState).toBeCalledWith({
         visualisationType: 'table',
-        columns: { 0: 'app' },
+        columns: { 0: 'app', 1: 'Line', 2: 'Time' },
       });
     });
 
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ describe('LogsTableWrap', () => {
       checkboxLabel.click();
       expect(updatePanelState).toBeCalledWith({
         visualisationType: 'table',
-        columns: {},
+        columns: { 0: 'Line', 1: 'Time' },
       });
     });
   });
diff --git a/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableWrap.tsx b/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableWrap.tsx
index aa3a9b2baf0..33eab4d23db 100644
--- a/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableWrap.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/explore/Logs/LogsTableWrap.tsx
@@ -34,7 +34,11 @@ interface Props extends Themeable2 {
   onClickFilterOutLabel?: (key: string, value: string, refId?: string) => void;
 }
 
-export type fieldNameMeta = { percentOfLinesWithLabel: number; active: boolean | undefined };
+export type fieldNameMeta = {
+  percentOfLinesWithLabel: number;
+  active: boolean | undefined;
+  type?: 'BODY_FIELD' | 'TIME_FIELD';
+};
 type fieldName = string;
 type fieldNameMetaStore = Record<fieldName, fieldNameMeta>;
 
@@ -96,14 +100,28 @@ export function LogsTableWrap(props: Props) {
    *
    */
   useEffect(() => {
+    // If the data frame is empty, there's nothing to viz, it could mean the user has unselected all columns
+    if (!dataFrame.length) {
+      return;
+    }
     const numberOfLogLines = dataFrame ? dataFrame.length : 0;
     const logsFrame = parseLogsFrame(dataFrame);
     const labels = logsFrame?.getLogFrameLabelsAsLabels();
 
-    const otherFields = logsFrame ? logsFrame.extraFields.filter((field) => !field?.config?.custom?.hidden) : [];
+    const otherFields = [];
+
+    if (logsFrame) {
+      otherFields.push(...logsFrame.extraFields.filter((field) => !field?.config?.custom?.hidden));
+    }
     if (logsFrame?.severityField) {
       otherFields.push(logsFrame?.severityField);
     }
+    if (logsFrame?.bodyField) {
+      otherFields.push(logsFrame?.bodyField);
+    }
+    if (logsFrame?.timeField) {
+      otherFields.push(logsFrame?.timeField);
+    }
 
     // Use a map to dedupe labels and count their occurrences in the logs
     const labelCardinality = new Map<fieldName, fieldNameMeta>();
@@ -159,6 +177,24 @@ export function LogsTableWrap(props: Props) {
 
     pendingLabelState = getColumnsFromProps(pendingLabelState);
 
+    // Get all active columns
+    const active = Object.keys(pendingLabelState).filter((key) => pendingLabelState[key].active);
+
+    // If nothing is selected, then select the default columns
+    if (active.length === 0) {
+      if (logsFrame?.bodyField?.name) {
+        pendingLabelState[logsFrame.bodyField.name].active = true;
+      }
+      if (logsFrame?.timeField?.name) {
+        pendingLabelState[logsFrame.timeField.name].active = true;
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (logsFrame?.bodyField?.name && logsFrame?.timeField?.name) {
+      pendingLabelState[logsFrame.bodyField.name].type = 'BODY_FIELD';
+      pendingLabelState[logsFrame.timeField.name].type = 'TIME_FIELD';
+    }
+
     setColumnsWithMeta(pendingLabelState);
 
     // The panel state is updated when the user interacts with the multi-select sidebar