Along with her three sister ships, Konig, Markgraf, and Kronprinz, Grosser Kurfurst took part in most of the fleet actions during the war, including the Battle of Jutland on May 31st and June 1st, 1916. The ship was subjected to heavy fire at Jutland, but was not seriously damaged. She shelled Russian positions during Operation Albion in September and October 1917. Grosser Kurfurst was involved in a number of accidents during her service career; she collided with Konig and Kronprinz, grounded several times, was torpedoed once, and hit a mine.

After Germany's defeat and the signing of the Armistice in November 1918, Grosser Kurfurst and most of the capital ships of the High Seas Fleet were interned by the Royal Navy in Scapa Flow. The ships were disarmed and limited to skeleton crews while the Allied powers negotiated the final version of the Treaty of Versailles. On June 21st, 1919, days before the treaty was signed, the commander of the interned fleet, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, ordered the fleet to be scuttled to ensure that the British would not be able to seize the ships. Unlike her sister ships, Grosser Kurfurst was raised in 1938 for scrapping and subsequently broken up in Rosyth.