Torpedo nets were fitted to the ship from 1885 to 1897. König Wilhelm returned to service in 1887 to participate in the ceremonies marking the beginning of construction of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, which was to link the Kiel with the North Sea. She remained in commission for the summer training exercises, serving with I Division of the fleet. The ship participated in the 1888 training cycle as well, along with Kaiser and the ironclads and . She did not see activity from 1889 to late 1892, but she was reactivated to take part in the training cruise of the winter of 1892–1893.
