Barr's first game of the new season came in the League Cup against Ayr United on 21 September 2011. A recurrence of his hernia injury that required surgery caused further setbacks, and his next appearance came as a substitute against Motherwell in the league on Christmas Eve. Barr was consistently selected in midfield by manager Paulo Sergio in the last few months of the 2011–12 season ahead of established midfield players. In the 2012 Scottish Cup Final, Barr started the match in central midfield and scored the opening goal in a 5–1 win against Hibernian. Barr's only league goal for Hearts also came against Hibernian, in his final appearance for the club at the end of the 2012–13 season.