The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced various dimensions of higher education systems globally, including English language learning. To illustrate, the pedagogical practices should be altered from face-to-face to online modes. This move affects students' learning engagement, notably cognitive engagement. Although myriad studies have focused on probing students' cognitive engagement, little is known about how students engage cognitively during emergency remote teaching (ERT). To fill this void, this study investigated students' cognitive engagement in English language learning activities in an ERT environment. Sixty students from three Indonesian higher educational institutions were involved as participants. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview and analyzed with thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The findings revealed that students, (1) deploying metacognitive language learning strategies, (2) possessing self-regulated learning, (3) designating English language learning motivation, (4) showcasing critical thinking as a manifestation of students' cognitive engagement, and (5) connecting teaching materials to the students' daily life. The implications of this study call for emphasizing students' English language learning needs and teachers' continuous professional development.